Phoenix Rising
by Emeraldbuttercup
Summary: Andromeda Black has always been shadowed by her two sisters. But when Bellatrix shows her true colours, will timid Andromeda speak out for what's right?
1. Prologue

Prologue:

It all started with the Sorting. Or, perhaps it would be better to say the Sorting is when it all ended. It depends on how you look at the situation. But that's probably where I should start, because one way or another, that's when things started to change.

"Cissy, stop it!" Bellatrix snapped at Narcissa as another origami owl flittered overhead, hooting softly. It was flying cheerfully around the train compartment, and flittering beside the window, where outside trails of steam issued from the Hogwarts Express. At Bellatrix's order, the owl went into a steep dive and landed in Narcissa's outstretched hand. With delicate fingers, Narcissa lovingly unfolded the enchanted piece of colored parchment and placed it in a pocket of her robes. Bellatrix rolled her eyes, and patted her younger sister firmly on the shoulder. Next to each other, you wouldn't have recognised Bellatrix and Narcissa as sisters. Bellatrix had long tightly curled hair tumbling down her shoulders in and untamed way, the same dark color as her eyes. Her jaw was squared in a permanently defiant manner, her nose upturned as though she had smelled something foul. Narcissa, on the other hand, had straight blond hair, perfectly combed, with brown eyes the colour of cinnamon. Her back was rigid, as though afraid to lean onto the worn seat. And what about me? I was almost a splitting image of my older sister, with unruly curled hair (which I had pulled back in a bun) and dark gray eyes. The angles of my face were somewhat softer, yes, and my hair was lighter than hers, but at first glance, you would have thought we were twins. I was sitting opposite Bellatrix, furiously reading through 'Mrs. Quince's 101 Studying Tips and Pointers'.

"I don't understand why you feel the need to already begin working." Bellatrix said haughtily, her eyes on a small pocket mirror she was now holding to her face.

"Since you're a first year, they'll only get you to do small stuff, trying to control your magic. You'll have no problem, but it will be tedious waiting for the mudbloods. They should put the wizarding families into another class, if you ask me. It's not fair we have to wait on the stupid and incompetent." Bellatrix sneered, and leaned far down in her seat, looking bored. Narcissa leaned forward and peered at the cover of my book.

"I haven't been studying yet. Do you think I'll be okay?" She heart-shaped face was worried, her lips puckered. I closed my book, carefully marking the page I had been on. I reached out and stroked her hair, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"You'll do wonderful." I whispered to her. She seemed grateful, but worried all the same. How could I blame her? We were both starting our first year, and had no idea what to expect, and Bellatrix refuse to give us any details. But I was not worried.

I was terrified. I was an incredibly shy person, and the idea of one school stuffed with hundreds of underage witches and wizards… I clutched my book tightly. My mother had always only allowed me to play with children inside our own family. There was a good number of family, that was true, with many cousins around my age, but they never seemed to care for me much. Sure, held great respect for each other, for after all we were tied together by lineage more noble than any other wizarding family, but for some reason, they seem to find me odd. I was little Andromeda, daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black, the queer mute little girl found haunting the personal family library. Small Andromeda, Bellatrix's shadow, Narcissa's silent guardian, her mother's trinket- The Hogwarts express was slowing down. Bellatrix rolled her eyes, and grumbled as she got to her feet. I was so nervous now that when we started to leave the compartment I almost forgot to put Brutus, my small gray kitten, back into his carrier. He meowed in distress as I put him back in, but I quickly ran out into the hall after my sisters, not listening to his cries.

Getting off of the train was a nightmare. People surrounded me on all sides, giving off a claustrophobic air. I felt trapped, walking in the same direction as everyone else, people stepping on my trailing robes, so I would halt abruptly. It was a relief when we got to the banks of the lake, where dozens of boats were bobbing.

"First years, this way!"

"Thatser right, first years, disa way! Yer comin'?"

A thin wizard with a voice too high for him stood before the gathering throng of first year students, watching us with eyes that seemed to be trying to look everywhere at once. Next to him loomed a young man, much larger than any man I had ever laid eyes on was shouting, his hands cupped around his mouth. The beginnings of a wispy beard decorated the tall man's chin, and his hair went down to his shoulders. He was dressed simply, not in Hogwarts robes, but in trousers with grass stains on the knees, and a shirt an ugly dulled yellow. I was scared as soon as I saw him. He looked strong enough to pick me up with one hand; I barely came up to his waist. Someone grabbed my arm, I turned quickly to see Narcissa clinging to it.

"Bella left me!" She pouted, her perfect eyebrows drawn together. "She went to the carriages with all the other third years, and left me behind!" Narcissa had just spotted the boats, a few of the first years were already getting on. "We're taking boats?!" She asked fretfully. "But won't we be cold and wet afterwards?" I shrugged, and took her hand in mine. Passing the gigantic man, we climbed clumsily into the boats. Two other first years got into the boat with us, and then we were gliding, gliding across the still waters. It was eerily beautiful, as though someone had turned off all sounds. The sun was setting in the distance, basking the lake in radiant colors. Far away, the silhouette of a forest came into view. The trees trembled, as if from excitement. I was excited too now, the nervousness peeling away to reveal the wonder. It was as if I had stepped into one of the many books I had read about in my dusty corner of the library. Excitement gripped me tightly, refusing to let go. Anything was possible here, and suddenly the world was opening up like a clam, and I was about to see the pearl… and then I could see the castle. Towers of different heights grew out of the main castle, almost at random. They stood solid, beckoning me to explore undiscovered corridors and forgotten chambers. The heavy Gothic windows shone in the dying sun, and the whole place seemed to promise power. Next to me, Narcissa shivered in anticipation.

As we walked between the two winged boar statues, Bellatrix found us. She took Narcissa's hand, but whether she gripped it possessively or protectively, I could not tell.

"Good luck." Bellatrix said curtly. Around her, a few of her fellow third year Slytherins were waiting, watching us, as if considering what jinx to use. I was used to this kind of gaze, and so I returned it, respectful, yet dangerous. They seem to relax after that, and one of them gave me an almost imperceptible nod. Bellatrix started walking away briskly, and the others hurried to keep up. A stern looking witch was ushering the first years through the double oak doors. We hurried to come in, and found ourselves in a huddled mass. The witch stood on the marble staircase so we could see her better. Her graying hair was pulled into a tight bun like mine, and on her hat was a few ravens feather placed artistically.

"I am Professor McGonagall, the professor of Transfiguration." The witch started, clasping her hands together and staring us down. "In a few minutes, we will walk into the Great Hall. I expect everyone to walk single-filed towards the front. Then the Sorting will take place. When your Sorting is over, please sit down with the rest of your House. Is that clear?" There was a jumbled of assorted 'Yes ma'am.' From the first years. Professor McGonagall nodded tartly.

"Right. We will be entering the Great Hall in-" She tilted her head, as though listening for something. "Roughly five minutes. You may talk among yourselves, but keep your voices low." With that, she stepped down from the stairs, and a collection of muttering broke out.

"My mom says I'll probably be in Ravenclaw-"

"What do you think they'll be serving, I'm starving-"

"They will remember to get our luggage off the train, won't they?"

I stood stiffly as this babble broke out, wondering what I should do. Narcissa was nervously folding the enchanted paper I had given her for her birthday, her fingers becoming a blur. A girl approached me, her light brown hair falling almost to her waist. She approached Narcissa.

"Hello. I'm Clementine Pristina. What's your name?" Narcissa blinked, her face pale. I know what she must feel like; none of us had ever been approached to in this way before. There were gestures, calculations, and offers of alliances- to be approached so blandly seemed to stun Narcissa for a moment.

"Narcissa. Narcissa Black." The girl, Clementine, stretched out her hand. Whatever was she doing? Handshakes were for deals, for conspiracies, for hidden secrets…Narcissa stared at the hand, as though it had just turned into a snake. When after a few moments and Narcissa still had not taken the proffered hand, Clemintine slowly let it drop back to her side.

"So…" She said uncomfortably. The two of us stared at her. To leave a sentence hanging was a sign of indecision, of weakness. There were many ways we could take control of the situation now, slipping under her guard. Unfortunately, neither of us understood what was going on. Was she threatening us? Pretending to be naive so as to unbalance us the next time we met? The girl was blushing now, staring down at the ground.

"Right…well, see you around, I guess." And she walked away, disappearing in the crowd. Narcissa uncurled her fingers, and released an origami griffin, which took a few experimental flaps of its wings before taking off.

"Follow me!" Professor McGonagall had reappeared, and the first years struggled to form a line. After that, we followed McGonagall into the Great Hall.

Above us, the ceiling was a cascade of colours, from a dark blue in the west, to an inky black in the east. Small stars were popping into sight, and a sliver of the moon was visible. On either side were two long tables, crowded with students of varying ages, dressed all in their Hogwarts robes, their House crest embroidered on the left side chest. From the crest I could see as the students turned to look at us, Gryffindor was the farther left, then Hufflepuff was next, then a table filled with Ravenclaws, and on the far right, the Slytherins lounged, staring at the first years. I tried not to look nervous, keeping my head held high. On a platform ahead, a man with a graying auburn beard stood, his dark blue robes trailing and his half-moon spectacles glinting in the candlelight.

"The headmaster!" One of the girls in our line squeaks.

"Another year starts!" He said, his voice warm and carrying throughout the Hall. "A promising year unfolds before us, fresh and air dried for us to use. But, before we go on, let's let a dear friend of mine go on ahead." The Great Hall burst with appreciative laughing. I looked at the man, wondering what was so funny. Then, Professor McGonagall walked in, carrying a tall stool, a scroll, and…what was that tucked under her arm? I craned my neck, eager to see. Was it a rag? McGonagall set the stool down directly in front of the headmaster. Then, taking the thing out from under her arm, she carefully placed it on the stool. It was a hat. An old, ragged, worn hat. I looked around, wondering what was going on. We wouldn't have to wait long before the Sorting, surely? Then, to my astonishment, the hat blinked-it blinked-and opened a rip where the brim stopped. And then, it began to sing. I watched, stunned as it sung in a beautiful bass voice about the founders, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. This thing was supposed to to sort us into our houses? I looked around the hall apprehensively. The Hat finished with a dramatic flourish, and soon the whole school was cheering. I could have sworn I saw the Hat bow ever so slightly, and one of the dark folds of material it had for eyes was winking. Professor McGonagall unrolled the scroll she had been holding.

"Aphilt, Daphne!"

A nervous looking girl broke out of our line and went up to McGonagall.

"Here." Professor McGonagall indicated the stool. The girl sat on it, crossing her legs and looking around. Professor McGonagall put the Hat onto the girl's head; the hat was so big, that it fell down past her eyes. There was a pause; everyone seemed to be waiting on something. And then there was a sudden cry:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hall burst into applause; the Hufflepuff table stomped their feet and whooped. Professor McGonagall lifted the Hat off the girl's head, to show the girl's face shining with relief. She jumped off the stool and ran over to the Hufflepuff table, tripping on her robes on the way.

And so it went on. One by one, the first years got sorted.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The shouts of the Hat echoed around the room, one after another.

"Black, Andromeda!" Professor McGonagall called out. My stomach knotted, and I quickly walked up. The whole school was watching me now, I could feel their eyes staring at me. This was the most people I had ever seen at one time, and I could feel my cheeks burning. Taking my robes, I sat on the stool with more elegance than many of the other first years. Crossing my ankles and placing my hands in my lap, I glanced up at the crowd for a second before the Hat came down on my head, blocking them from sight.

"Humm…" The Hat mumbled, its voice deep, but not unkind.

"Let's see, let's see… I can see much intelligence in here. A generous portion of quick thinking, an eye for spotting answers…all good traits for a Ravenclaw…but ah, I see there is undying loyalty to those you love! You would protect your loved ones at any cost, you understand that everything has a price to pay…excellent Hufflepuff characteristics. But deeper, I see a kind a hidden braveness, a glowing light of righteousness in the depths of your mind! Though many have tried to extinguish it, it still shines on inside of you, lighting the way. Yes, this trait is the strongest, but you keep it hidden from all eyes, including your own. However, it is there none the less, Gryffindor would be a way to strengthen this inside yourself…"

My heart was beating very fast. Surely, it must be joking! I could not be in any house but Slytherin! Every member of the House of Black had been in Slytherin, for generations! I couldn't be in Gryffindor, the sworn enemy of Slytherin! How could I part with Narcissa? She needed me.

"The reason your considering Slytherin so you can protect your sister is why I think Gryffindor is right for you." The Hat said, and I was shocked to realize the Hat was reading my mind.

'You don't understand, I have to be in Slytherin!' I thought furiously.

"I understand all that you understand, plus a great deal more." The Hat said thoughtfully. "I can see that you are misguided by the people around you…but you yourself are not like them, are you?" This question resonated in my ears, questioning everything I had always considered true; the question was rocking down the very foundation I had placed myself on. But was it right? A nagging doubt placed far beyond my thoughts came into view. Maybe I was different than the others, they were all wrong, and the House of Black was growing old and unstable-I was terrified by my own treacherous thought, but the thought remained, unbidden. But I was a Black. I was part of the Black. If was a Gryffindor, I would not longer be a Black, and without them I would fall, fall like a fledging too young to fly-

"I see." The Hat said, his voice gentle. "It is not yet the right time…you are young, and the beliefs of others will blind you until you open your own eyes…a pity, I can see so many opportunities…but someday…not today, though…better be…SLYTHERIN!" The Hat was pulled up, and as I opened my eyes, I heard the applause trickle to a stop. I was clutching the seat of the stool so tightly, that my knuckles had turned white. Angry tears clung onto my eyelashes and ran down my face. I quickly wiped them with my sleeve, looking mortified. Everyone was staring at me, transfixed. Professor McGonagall was looking at me, speechless. I stood, and quickly went down the platform, and walked over to the Slytherins. Unsure applause started back, but was quickly quelled. I sat at the end of the bench at the Slytherin table; the Slytherins were all peering at my face, looking bemused. Narcissa was sorted next; it took less than ten seconds for her to be sorted into Slytherin. The hat was taken off her head to reveal her sweet smile, and then she ran off, her paper griffin flying lazily behind her. A moment later she was sitting right next to me.

"Are you all right?" She asked, her smile fading somewhat as she stared into my eyes. I looked away and nodded. I couldn't think of what the Hat said or what Narcissa was saying, they were staring, all staring-

"Cuttlefern, Micheal!" Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, and the eyes stopped staring. I was so relieved, I started to shake uncontrollably. I wanted to run out, to go back to the library at home and cry in the corner.

"Ppst!" I looked up to see Bellatrix hissing at me from across the table. "What happened?" She asked, but not the way Narcissa asked. There was no sympathy in her voice, no pity, but curious thirst for gossip. I shrugged, and straighten my back, composing myself. I could not afford to look weak, not here and not now. I sat, trying to look intimidating, haughty, and regal, but yet not lordly. I could not think of what the Hat had said. I would have no weakness.

"Nothing happened." I told Bellatrix coolly.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

I was sitting at the same table, in the same Hall, four years later. I flipped absentmindedly through a book in one hand, and a piece of half eaten toast in the other. I was reading our fifth year textbook on Astronomy. It was my favorite subject, and I wanted to be well prepared for our lessons. No doubt Professor Sinistra would be extra hard on us, with O.W.L.s coming up. I carefully put the book down in my lap, sighing at the prospect of another Herbology lesson with the Ravenclaws, which was in less than an hour. Taking a napkin a wiping off a smear of jam on the book cover, and stuffed it into my book bag. I stood and walked out of the Great Hall, to join the buzzing mass congregating in the hall leading to the doors outside. The crowd itself didn't bother me as much as it had when I arrived, though I was still scared of them. Well, perhaps I wasn't scared of the crowd. Perhaps I was only scared of the individual people.

"Hey Black!" I turned around to face Hermia Frillin, a fifth year Ravenclaw. A group of her friends surrounded her, looking reverently toward their leader.

"Is it true you're part vampire?" She sneered, and her friends laughed.

"Her robes are so old-fashioned, I wouldn't surprised if she really was hundreds of years old!" Hermia trilled in her odd, dolphin laugh.

"Yeah, what's with the collar? Are you going to visit the Queen? Or did you just get your rabies shot?" I gritted my teeth. This was my favorite robe, dark as a raven's wing, with flowing sleeves and a long, thin neck piece that flared out, just at the ends. I thought I highlighted my long, slender neck, which I was quite proud of. My hair was in my customary bun, and my shirt was pressed, in stark contrast from the others in my year. I kept walking past them, trying to ignore them. Hermia followed not far behind.

"Tell me, are you related to Count Dracula? You're not a witch, you're a monster!" I began to walk faster. Students were starting to watch, and eyeing me apprehensively. I lowered my head and ran through the doors and into the courtyard. When I looked back and realized Hermia wasn't following me, I slowed down my pace. I kept my face passive, but inside I was boiling. Was that the latest rumor? That I was a vampire? I rolled my eyes. Count Dracula. After five years of magical education, was that the best she could come up with? Count Dracula wasn't even a real vampire I thought, stomping my way toward the greenhouses. He was just some crazy old wizard that took pleasure in frightening muggles. If she wanted to compare me to a vampire, why not Alfred the Bloodsucker, the leader of the Vampire rebellion and signer on the Treatise on Vampire and Human Interrelations in Transylvania, passed in 1897? I shook my head, disgusted. How did Hermia get to her fifth year in History Of Magic, I had no idea. I to the greenhouse number three, and went inside.

Already there was a short, portly witch with a bent hat inside, patting fertilized into a pot, ducking at the plant's stems swung around in a whirl. When I entered, she looked up, surprised.

"Ah, Miss Black!"

Professor Sprout disappeared for a moment at she ducked under a table as the plant she had been fertilizing flung itself in her direction. It leaped up, pot and all, only to crash down on the table, the ceramic pot shattering and fertilize thrown everywhere.

"Oh dear." She was peering up again, then stood, which didn't add much to her height. Drawing her wand out of her robes, she quickly gave it a wave.

"Reparo!" The pot's shards clattered together as they went back, remaking the pot good as new. With another flick of Professor Sprout's wand, the fertilizer jumped back into the pot, sifting around to cover all the roots. The plant was beginning to whirl around again, this time with new intensity.

"Oh no you don't." Professor Sprout huffed. "Petrificus Totalus!" And the plant stopped moving abruptly, frozen in mid swing.

"Now, how can I help you my dear?" Said Professor Sprout, putting her wand back into her robes. I shifted my feet.

"Well, our lesson is in the next forty minutes, so I thought I might come early just in case…" Sprout nodded.

"That's fine. But I have to say, as long as I've worked for Hogwarts so far, you're the only student that comes early for classes. Are you sure you don't want to go walk around the grounds? It's a lovely day, you know."

"No thank you, Professor." I said, my eyes downcast. Professor Sprout shuffled uncomfortably.

"I'm not getting onto you girl, don't think that, but wouldn't you rather spend your free time with your friends?" I had to resist the crazy urge to laugh. My only friends hadn't changed since I began Hogwarts. Bellatrix was doing Defense Against the Dark Arts class right now, and Narcissa was still eating breakfast. Some of the other Slytherins were nice to me, but I had the feeling that was only because they were scared what Bellatrix might do if they did not except me…I was still Bellatrix's shadow, after all this time…

"Well, if you're going to stay, can I get you to help me fertilize some of these?" Professor Sprout asked, waving at a few stumpy looking saplings. She handed me a pair of gloves, and we both got to work.

* * *

About two hours later Narcissa and I were walking back up to the castle, trying to the dispel dirt off our hands with a simple siphoning charm.

"Divination is next." Narcissa said as we approached the courtyard gates. A schedule she had pulled out of her book bag was now clutched in her pristine hands. "Followed by Transfiguration, and then later tonight is Astronomy. Sounds like a pretty good lineup. I'm just glad there isn't any potions today!" I looked at her curiously.

"Why? Professor Slughorn is always nice to us Slytherins, isn't he? He's the our Head of House!"

"I know, I like Professor Slughorn enough, but potions is always so precise! I much prefer Divination." Narcissa said, sighing. Of course, Narcissa would take to the murky unknowable paths of divination, rather than the detail-oriented potion classes. I myself was the opposite, preferring to understand exactly what I was looking at, and controlling it, as you did in potions.

"Shall we go look for Bella?" Narcissa asked as we passed the Great Hall. I peered at the schedule she was holding.

"All right, but we have to hurry." I sighed. "Meet you in front of the third story staircase?" Narcissa nodded, and dashed away, her head whipping around as she looked for Bellatrix. Though I would rather have gone straight up to the divination tower to wait for our lesson to begin, I forced myself to look around for Bellatrix.

When I found Narcissa and Bellatrix waiting at the third story staircase, Bellatrix was not happy. She was in a downright bad mood. As we started walking, she started venting her frustration.

"Can you believe Professor Beetleye took five points off of Slytherin?"

"Why did he?" Narcissa asked curiously.

"Just because I asked when we were going to learn something really good. I mean, think of what I've learn so far in that class!" She began to tick off on her fingers the spells as she named them: "The Disarming spell, the shield charm, the Stunning jinx…" She threw her hands up. "And now in my seventh year, we're wasting time learning how to do patronuses! Stupid little wisps of silvery smoke that's supposed to keep us from_ feeling bad_." She said it with such hatred that I flinched. I had a knack for telling when Bellatrix was going to throw a tantrum, and at any moment now she could be set off. Looking for something to do, I undid my bun, letting my hair drape over my face, and pretended to try tying it back into place. Narcissa also seemed to feeling the tension growing, and did not make eye contact with Bellatrix as she continued.

"You think a teacher would understand that the only way to play a good defense is a aggressive offense. So I asked him to show us some basic curses. The old frog just stared at me, his eyes bulging." Bellatrix let out a nasty cackle, her eyes glinting. Both Narcissa and I nodded mutely to her, willing her to keep her temper under control. She continued to laugh crazily as we went down the corridor. Up ahead, Slytherins and Gryffindors headed toward the Divination classroom in twos and threes. I felt a pang in my chest, but from what, I didn't know.

"Black! Black!" All three of us turned, my half made bun becoming loose and releasing my hair. A group of half a dozen Gryffindors were coming toward us. Bellatrix crossed her and raised her chin, daring any of them to come closer. They did come, and soon they were standing right in front of Bellatrix, bold as brass. Bellatrix glared at them. A sixth boy stepped up in front of the others, looking at Bellatrix venomously.

"I have a bone to pick with you, Black." He said, his fists clenched. "Your cousin Orion just got expelled yesterday for putting Carvil in St. Mungos with a nasty hex."

"So?" Bellatrix asked, leering at the boy.

"Yeah, I'll tell you 'so'." The boy growled. "We were all really good friends of Carvil, and we reckon we should avenge his wrongdoers. We all had a nice chat with Orion before he left the school, and he told us you were the one who hexed Carvil.

"And what if I am?" Bellatrix asked lazily. A girl pushed her way to the front, her fists balled.

"When we'll fight you!" She replied angrily. Bellatrix laughed.

"No dear, I shan't be nettled into fighting your little muggle ways." She said, putting a hand on the girl's fist. "Gryffindors, are you?" She asked. The group nodded warily.

"Ah yes, the house of chivalry, trying to find justice, how noble." Bellatrix's voice grew louder, her pitch slightly higher. "The brave Gryffindors, here to fight six to one. Yes, very noble." A fifth year boy with tawny brown hair stepped forward, his gaze steely. "We won't fight you six to one. Carvil was my best friend, and I'll stand-" the sixth year boy grabbed his arm.

"You can't fight her alone Ted, we'll help you-"

"How touching." Bellatrix drawled. "You're right, of course. There is a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and you Gryffindors have been crossing it for some time now." The sixth year released his friend's arm, his face contorted with rage.

"You think you're so smart just because your whole family is in Slytherin. I bet you wouldn't be so cocky without them." Bellatrix stiffened, and I groaned inside. Without knowing it, this group had done probably the worst thing they could have: insulted the Black family. Nobody ever insulted the Black family. Full-grown wizards that had insult our ancient family tree were often reported days later in St Mungos, and those were the lucky ones. Our family was like a great serpent, lying in wait, silently striking off those who dare insult us. To have these people insult us so slanderously was unthinkable. Bellatrix was right; they really had crossed the line. For a moment, nobody moved. It was as if invisible storm clouds loomed overhead, crackling with electricity. Bellatrix was panting, which gave her a demented look. She looked ready to curse them into oblivion. I was scared, scared of what she was capable of. And then, she calmed herself. The others looked relieved, but I was not as assured. Bellatrix was probably planning different tortures for every one of them, like a judge condemning the damned. Like a serpent lying in wait, fangs poised.

"Torjours pur, miscreant mudbloods. If your precious Carvil was as thick as you all are, I'm glad he's gone!" With a laugh that sounded more like a scream, Bellatrix turned and stocked away. Narcissa and I hastened to follow her.

"Come back and face me, you coward!" A voice called from behind us. I ran up to Bellatrix, eager to escape the looming conflict. There were pounding footsteps behind us, and a rustle of robes. I was frightened now. They wouldn't attack us a few yards away from a classroom, would they?

"LEDITUS!" I was thrown off my feet by the spell and was sent crashing down on the floor a few feet away. Narcissa screamed from somewhere behind me. I gasped, rolling onto my side and curling into a small ball, hugging my ribs. It was as if I had been struck in the face by a bludger bat. The left side of my face was numb, except for spikes of shooting pain from my jaw. I closed my eyes. The pain was blinding-

"What did you do?!" Bellatrix was shouting on the top of her voice, not even trying to hold back her rage. It was a terrible thing to behold. "I can't believe anyone would do something so low…" Bellatrix was shouting at the Gryffindors. "You filth! You scum!"

"I-I didn't mean to hit her-" The voice was the same one that had shouted the curse, though now it had shrunk into a stunned whisper.

"Keep away from her, or I'll jinx you!" Narcissa threatened.

"From the back, I thought she was you-I wasn't thinking-blimey, is she okay?" I opened my eyes, and looked behind me. Bellatrix was towering over the group of Gryffindors, her eyes filled with mad light. The boy that had been talking was watching me, his brow furrowed with his wand held limply at his side.

"It's if you'll be okay after I'm finished with you that you should be worried about, you stinking cesspool!" Bellatrix shouted. "You and your little mudblood friends need to be taught a lesson, one which I will thoroughly enjoy giving to you!" She brandished her own wand, holding it high over her head like a bullwhip.

"Cruc-"

"No!" I scrambled to my feet, my body aching. Bellatrix stared at me, her wand still raised. Everyone's eyes followed me as I grabbed Bellatrix's shoulder.

"It-it isn't worth it." I gasped, clutching my side. My face was bruising where the invisible force had hit me. I was sure to have a black eye in the morning. "Just-let them go." Bellatrix didn't even bother to look at me.

"They will pay for their impudence!" She snarled.

"Don't-" I started to say, but Bellatrix interrupted me. "Don't? Don't?! They are vermin; dogs not clean enough to grovel at my feet! I will have my vengeance for this attack on my sister and on the House of Black!" She raised her arm again, and-

"Is there a problem?" Came the hoarse voice of Professor Simon, his head poking down at us of the trap door. There was a cloth tied around his eyes, showing that he was blind. His face was pointed in our direction. Everyone froze. Dueling was not permitted on school grounds, and could resolve on expulsion…nobody moved.

"No, Professor." I said, trying my hardest to make sure my voice did not betray me. "It's me, Andromeda Black. I'm so sorry that I'm late. Professor Sprout needed help with the Hesparidite trees after class, and I volunteered-"

"Quite all right, Miss Black." Professor Simon smiled kindly, probably imagining an eager student running down the corridor, breathless and excited for today's lesson.

"Andromeda Black…Slytherin girl, aren't I correct? Yes, yes, no need to worry. You have never been late for one of my classes before, one small slight shan't ruin your perfect record. Well, come in, come in!" And his head disappeared from the trap door, though the door remained open. I stood for a second, part of me not believing that Professor Simon had fallen for that trick, and the other part shocked-I had just lied to a teacher… I stooped and picked up my book bag, and rushed for the ladder.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

As the Divination lesson progressed, Bellatrix, Narcissa, and the six Gryffindors snuck in, unnoticed by Professor Simon. Everyone else in the room was looking quizzically at us, probably wondering what had happened to make so many people late at once, and why we were sneaking in. I'm sure that if only Bellatrix, Narcissa, and myself were the only ones to climb through the trapdoor, the Gryffindors in the classroom would have lost no time pointing out three Slytherins had been late for the class. And, as sure as I was of this fact, I was equally sure the Slytherins would have hurried to point out six Gryffindors were late, had us trio of Slytherins not accompanied them. So things seemed to balance itself out one way or another, and the entirety of our group made it to our seats before Professor Simon realized some of his students were missing.

"Boys and girls, please!" Professor Simon raised his hands for silence, and the whispered explanations all around the room ceased.

"Thank you." Professor Simon felt his way with his cane to his seat at the front of the room, and sat down, sinking into the depths of the soft cushions. I put my hair quickly into a bun, and took out my copy of The Dream Oracle, and hastily opened it to the newest chapter. Narcissa came and sat in the chair next to me.

"How are you feeling?" I opened my mouth to reply, then winced when pain shot up from my jaw.

"I've been better."

"You should go down to the Hospital Wing." Narcissa said anxiously. "Madam Pomfrey could make those bruises disappear. You could just tell Professor Simon you've got a headache or something!"

"No. I'm not missing a class for a bunch of bruises." I said firmly, looking down at the chapter we were supposed to be reading about interpreting multiple dreams.

"Have you had any dreams lately?" I asked, dipping my quill into the bottle of ink and looking at her expectantly.

"Yeah, I dreamed my sister got run over by a speeding broomstick! Look at yourself!"

"I know." I said quickly. "But I'm not going to skip class if I can help it. I think I had a dream about flying once…" Narcissa threw her hands up in exasperation, but did not pursue the subject. Instead she got her own dream diary out, and started writing.

Class was almost over when I noticed someone was staring at me. I glanced up from my textbook. It was a boy with tawny brown hair. It was the Gryffindor that had cursed me. He was staring at me intently, clearly trying to make eye contact. I looked back at my textbook quickly, my heart thumping. Was he bitter about his friend Carvil still, and wanted to take it out on me? The bruise above my eyebrow seemed to ache at the thought.

"That will do for today." Professor Simon called out from his moth eaten chair.

"For your homework this week, I expect a full report on the series of equations to bring elements of different dreams into one vision. It must be at least one thousand words, so I suggest you all start writing soon!"

There was a chorus of groans through the room, and students swamped around the trapdoor. Not wanting to be caught wanting in the mass of people, I busied myself arranging the chairs around the tables more neatly, and straightening the cushions on top of them. Narcissa had already gone down the ladder; she was still angry with me for refusing to go to the Hospital Wing. As the crowd slowed to a trickle of people, I went back to my table and grabbed my book bag. When I turned, Professor Simon was feeling the tabletop of the student's table closest to him.

"Don't worry Professor, I've already cleaned the tables." Simon's head turned in my general direction, and smiled benevolently.

"Thank you, thank you my dear…" And he hobbled away, through a curtained doorway leading to his private rooms. I went down the ladder, and walked just behind the throng of people heading to lunch.

"Hey Black!" I looked around. The boy was coming toward me, followed by the other five Gryffindors that had confronted us in earlier. I stopped walking, feeling panicked. Bellatrix and Narcissa were gone. If these Gryffindors attacked, I was on my own. My heart start fluttering wildly. The only teacher on this floor was Professor Simon, and I doubted he would be much help if it came to a fight. I could invoke Impetum in est Impetum in Omnes; the Black family code that if one Black member was attacked, that all Blacks fought for them. But there were only a few of my Slytherin cousins here, and I doubted if even the ancient code of Black honor would get them to fight outnumbered to Gryffindors. After all, at Bellatrix had pointed out, there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and the Slytherins would not cross it. Maybe had I been Bellatrix they would help, but not as quiet Andromeda, Bellatrix's loyal shadow…the group of Gryffindors were getting closer. My eyes widened, and my stomach gave a nasty lurch. Adrenaline pounded in my ears, streaming through my body. Fight or flight?

I bolted. The Gryffindors hadn't been expecting this, and I fled past them, into the crowd. I darted around people, my heart racing. I had to get away. When I looked back, the Gryffindors had started to follow me.

"Black…hey, Black!"

I broke away from the crowd; the marble staircase was just around the corner. I turned and sprinted down the hall, my hand over my robe pocket where my wand was concealed. I could hear laughing and jeering behind me, but I did not care. Going down the stairs two at a time, I made it to the sixth story alone, and joined the mass of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs getting out of Transfiguration. I walked in the middle of the throng, my phobia of crowds being replaced with relief. I was safe.

For now.

One week later, I came out of Transfiguration glowing with pride. We had just finished learning how to transfigure mammals, and had started on marsupials. My koala was the first one in the class to turn into a snowcap, and Professor McGonagall had awarded five points to the Slytherin house because of it. I also had Astronomy tonight, and Professor Sinistra was very happy with my extra credit report on the Polish wizard Nicholas Copernicus, and had promised to show me the equation of Mercury's eccentricity tonight. With the rest of the night free to finish homework, I shouldered my bag and hurried to the library.

The library was packed with more fifth years then usual; apparently Professor McGonagall's lecture about the importance of the steadily approaching O.W.L.s had not gone unheeded. Students from all houses were there, talking in low tones and being carefully observed by Madam Pince. As I walked between the tables, I heard the whispering grow louder.

"Hey Dracula!"

"Come back from the dead to visit us, have you?"

"Tell me, who gave you the black eye? It's a good improvement on your face!"

I didn't spare a glance at the students hissing at me. I walked to the back of the crowd of tables, my chin held high. I found a deserted table at the back, and hefted my book bag onto it. Looking around, I was startled to see a group of Gryffindors a few tables away. They were engrossed in their work; just I did not want to take any chances. I carefully walked away, trying to appear oblivious. I walked between the towering aisles, my eyes scanning the spines of many dusty novels. Above me, books soared around, reorganizing themselves. The atmosphere was oddly calming. I always felt more at home at libraries, alone with the books and my thoughts. When I found the Defense Against the Dark Arts section, I crouched on the floor, reading the titles. Professor Beetleye had assigned us homework about what to do in a yeti attack, and our textbook, Confronting the Faceless, did not have enough information about the subject of yetis in it to satisfy me. Looking down the titles, I found one book labeled Dragons, Imps, & Spirits: A Guide for Self-Protection. I flipped to the Table of contents, and was looking through the chapter titles when something caught the corner of my eye. I turned, and saw a parchment oragami airplane slowly drifting along. I looked around, but no one was around. The paper airplane was coming toward me, dipping downward unsteadily, then suddenly changing direction and going straight upward. It reminded on the enchanted coloured parchment I had gotten Narcissa a long time ago, but slightly different. Narcissa's paper had Animating enchantment on it, while this one appeared to be a clever mixture of a levitating charm combined with a Tracing jinx. The little airplane began to circle me, diving spectacularly, but never hitting the ground. Should I open it? It probably contained a message, but from whom? A Lergenical hex could be placed on it, a clever hex that only affects me if I read any words printed on it. Taking my wand, I pointed it at the paper airplane.

"Lergenic Revelio!" I whispered. Nothing happened. So I was safe from that enchantment, at least. Maybe it had a dungbomb concealed inside it? I doubted it. The plane was too small, and a concealment charm was a N.E.W.T. standard. I doubted any of my classmates would go to that much trouble to pull a prank. I hesitantly stuck my hand out, palm facing upward. The airplane glided onto my outstretched hand, and unfolded itself smoothly. I had been right in my assumption, there was writing written in neat, quickly scrawled letters.

Black,

Meet me at ten o'clock tonight, the Charms corridor.

Tonks

My hands were shaking as I stared at the parchment, dumbstruck. I knew what this was. This was a challenge to a wizard's duel. One of the Gryffindors was not satisfied with my black eye. They were out for more than just that. They wanted blood.

No, they couldn't. I wasn't the one who cursed Carvil! That was Bellatrix, not me!

But you're close enough; a voice in my head told me. You're her shadow, remember? What ever she does, wherever she goes, you slink behind her, watching.

My mouth felt dry. What should I do? Meet this person and fight? I had never dueled before, I was confident of my skills. I was a Black. But if I were ever found in that corridor, I would be in trouble; curfew was at nine…I couldn't risk it. I could be expelled! It could be a trick.

Or a trap. An ambush, most likely.

I wouldn't be goaded into doing something so foolhardy. What I needed to do was stay as far away from this rival as possible. If the situation became worse, I could tell a teacher. But who was this mysterious Tonks? A Gryffindor, if I wasn't mistaken. But which Gryffindor was it? I had a pretty good idea. There was only one way to find out for sure, though. Tucking the library book under my arm, the parchment in the other hand, I marched back to my table. The group of Gryffindors were still there, pouring over their books, and frantically scribbling down notes with their quills. Only one Gryffindor was looking up, and he was staring at me. It was the one with the tawny hair. He was looking at me, his expression unreadable. Sitting down, I put the book down firmly on the table, and laid the parchment with the offending writing down. Smoothing out the creases in a definite manner, I carefully refolded the paper into a neat airplane, the message he had written concealed inside. Looking up, I was satisfied to see that the tawny boy was craning his neck, trying to see what I was doing, without being too obvious to his peers. Taking my wand out of my robes, I gave a small swish and flick. The airplane rose, trembling into the air. It hovered in front of me, awaiting instructions. With another flick, I sent it gliding over toward the boy. I saw the boy looking quizzically at me, but I offered no hint of emotion. Two could play that game. No one else seemed to have noticed the magical parchment airplane, for which I was glad. This was a private battle between him and me. The airplane was gliding over the boy's table now…it was less than two feet away…it was hovering over the boy's textbook… The boy was reaching out for the airplane, looking excited…

With a quick slash of my wand, the airplane burst into flames. The tawny boy yelped in surprise, backing away from the spire of golden flames not ten inches away from him. I watched his incredulous reaction with some satisfaction, though I was careful to keep my face deadpan. When the airplane had burned itself up, it fell into a tidy pile of smoldering ashes onto the boy's book. He looked up at me, stunned. I gave him a curt nod, with an expression that said 'I know what you're doing, and I'm not amused'. The boy shook his head, looking slightly angry.

"Black, you can't-" He had stood up, and his fellow Gryffindors were beginning to look at him, some hissing "Sssh!" at him. The boy ignored him, and was opening his mouth to say something else when Madam Pince came around the corner.

"A little less noise there-" And then she stopped.

I could not have planned the scene before me better if I had tried.

Madam Pince's eyes darted to the pile of ashes on the boy's book. Her face turned pale, then swelled purple at an alarming rate. The Gryffindors had all stopped working, they were watching her with growing terror.

"Students…burning library BOOKS?!" She asked, spittle flying across half of the room. The assembled Gryffindors started all stuttering excuses at once, all trying to excuse themselves. Madam Pince clapped her hands over her ears, no doubt this being the loudest her library has been in over twenty years.

"Ssh! Silence! Everyone, to Professor McGonagall's office!" This, however, achieved the opposite intended affect, for now all the Gryffindors clambered more loudly how they had done nothing wrong. A few people had actually risen out of their seats, yelling about undeserved detentions. Madam Pince clenched her tiny fists and walked over the soot-covered book, and was desperately trying to save it. She slammed her fist angrily onto the table.

"Who did it?" Madam Pince thundered, soot lining her brow when she had wiped her forehead like war paint. No one moved.

"I asked-" Madam Pince said, her nostrils flaring; "Who did this?" And there was yet a second break out of noise as voices clambered one over another. Gryffindors pointed fingers at people from other Houses, their voices rising. Soon the whole Library was clambering with noise as the students from the other houses defended themselves. An excited Hufflepuff first year who had been practicing a spell earlier was so worried, she let out a few red sparks out of her wand tip by mistake. A few seconds later, Bogey-bat hexes and boil-inducing jinxes were flying chaotically as confused students thought they were under attack. I calmly picked up my book bag and put the library book into it, and stood. Madam Pince was running around, a look of undiluted horror on her face, trying to silence everyone, who all seemed to have something to say on the matter. I walked to the library door, allowing myself a little smile.

"Black!" The tawny boy was yelling at my retreating back, but I did not flinch. I had won our little game this time.

"Black!" Madam Pince had spotted the boy and took him by his ear. I opened the thick doors to the library and walked out, leaving the library in hysterics.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

"Salazar!" The secret entrance that led to the Slytherin common room opened before me. It had been two glorious days since the fiasco at the library, and the glittering bauble of excitement from my rebellion had snuffed out by the amount of homework piling around me. I had made myself a homework schedule, and found out most of my time was going to be used studying for the O.W.L.s. I eagerly began my work, vigorously attacking my homework with new found gusto. That's why I was in such a hurry to get to the common room; I had another half hour between lunch and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I couldn't waste such precious moments of study time. I hurried down the winding hall that led to the common room. I could tell I was almost there when the light began to turn green. When I turned the final corner, I was set upon by Brutus, no longer the small kitten he had been when I had gotten him all those years ago. He was a sleek, muscular cat, with slanted brown eyes, almost the same colour as my own. He pounced at my feet, his light gray tail flicking, then looked at me expectantly. I bent down and picked him up, cradling him in my arms.

"I missed you too, Brutus." I muttered, putting my face in his warm fur. Brutus purred, and then scrambled on my shoulder, were he sat. I walked on, my cat looking down from his lofty perch, his tail tickling my neck. I walked into the common room, and set my bag down. The room was the same as the day I had first arrived; tall windows revealed the lake around us, casting a green, murky light on the room. Creatures swam in and out of sight from these windows, snaking through the lake. The ceiling was high and domed, a single giant chandelier hanging down, the arms of it twisted and serpentine. There was a fireplace made out of what looked like a single slab of black marble, which always had a verdigris fire dancing within. A single portrait hung on the fireplace, with a frame of ebony wood. It was a portrait of our founder, Salazar Slytherin, but the portrait was uninhabited right now, with only green curtains and a black armchair pictured. The black leather armchairs and lounges were grouped around the fireplace, an old rug depicting a coiled serpent covering the cool stone floor. Not many Slytherins were in the common room; most of them were still at lunch. But there was one girl, sitting directly in front of the fire, her fingers clutching the armrests as she stared into the flames. I let Brutus leap gracefully off my shoulder, than walked toward the girl.

"Hello, Bellatrix." Bellatrix did not reply at once, but continued to stare at the flames, which cast flickering shadows over her pale face. Then she sighed.

"I am losing patience quickly with this place." I stood next to her side, my face on her almost identical one. She was still staring at the fire, as if trying to learn its secrets. She continued talking in a fevered whisper.

"What more can Hogwarts offer me? There is little more I can learn now, being in my last year of Hogwarts. These hallowed halls have run short of the wonders it can offer me. I grow weary of this. I need more. There is something building inside of me, something that I need to quench. Hogwarts has satisfied me for this long, but the chasm is building."

She seemed to be almost muttering to herself. I felt like I had stumbled uninvited onto this moment. I started to back away, glancing at the hall I had just come from. Bellatrix stiffened, then turned toward me.

"I need you, Andromeda." I looked toward her, then down at my feet. Bellatrix leaned forward in her seat, her eyes reflecting the twisting fire.

"I need you to accompany me to Professor Slughorn's this Friday evening.

"What?" Whatever I thought she was about to say, it had not been that.

"The demented crackpot had invited me to one of his little parties." Bellatrix sneered, and once more she was herself again.

"He has been begging me to come to his get-togethers for some time now, though I have always avoided them. But the old man has some contacts." Bellatrix leaned back, lounging lazily in her chair. She interlaced her fingers calculatingly.

"If I impress him, then he could certainly pull a few strings and help me get the glory I deserve. You'll come with me to this party. Is that understood?"

"But…I don't understand." I fiddled with my sleeves nervously. Bellatrix could become dangerous if I upset her. "Why do you need me?" But this question did not upset Bellatrix. In fact, she laughed, and kept laughing until it became a screech.

"My dear, I do not have a clean record. I doubt Slughorn will help me achieve my ends if he knew everything about me. But you… you are perfect. You are a star pupil, a quick and willing student, a bright, hopeful young girl… with not so much as a blemish on your record…yes…I need you." I took a step back from her, unsure of what she was talking about.

"I hardly see how I can help you with Slughorn."

"Don't you understand? No, I can see on your face you do not. You, my dear girl, are a reflection of me. Whatever you do will reflect favorably on me. I need you to talk to Slughorn, introduce yourself properly, and show him all of your special qualities. Impress him. Then, I will come and talk to him. After he's talk to you, he's sure to happily give the elder sister of such a studious girl a bit of help." I bit my lip.

"I don't know if that will work."

"It will, you stupid little girl!" Bellatrix said angrily. "You will go to the party. As your elder sister I demand-"

"Of course I'll go." I said, looking at Bellatrix carefully. She had never acted so strangely before. I had never disobeyed her before. Why did even consider the possibility I might not follow her wishes? Bellatrix was watching my face, looking for my reaction. I bent my neck and stared at the floor.

"As you wish, sister." Bellatrix seemed to relax.

"Yes, of course." She snapped. "Meet me here at five o'clock Friday, ready to go." I nodded my consent.

"You are dismissed." She said curtly, and turned her gaze back to the fire. I was no longer of any concern of hers. I could no longer reach her; she was twisting, crackling and burning, at one with the fire.

As promised, I walked out of my dormitory and into the Slytherin common room on Friday, at exactly five o'clock sharp. Bellatrix was already there, pacing in front of the fireplace. When I saw her, I stopped in surprise.

"Well, come on!" She said irritably. I approached her, wondering what this was all about. This was too weird.

Bellatrix was dressed like me.

The same neck piece, the same dark flowing robes, the same shiny closed toe flats…

"Are-are those mine?" I asked, afraid of her reaction.

"No, silly. I used a duplicating charm." She was unfastening a necklace around her neck with a pendant of a silver spider on it. She tucked it into her pocket, than looked me over. Even our ties were the same, the slanted lines of silver, dark green and light green repeated over again. I shook my head, amazed.

"I don't fancy putting my hair up." She said after a moment. "Let your hair down." It was not a request, it was an order. Though I felt distinctly uncomfortable with my hair down, I took out my bun anyway. What choice did I have? Bellatrix came over and helped arranged the curly mass over my shoulders. When she stepped back to take a look, she smiled to herself.

"Perfect." She said. "I think this is the closest we've ever been to being identical." I seriously doubted her. Sure, we had our resemblances, but just by putting on matching outfits wasn't going to confuse Professor Slughorn which of us was which. It must have shown on my face, because Bellatrix put her hands on her hips.

"You don't believe me?"

"No, I-"

"Here." She grabbed my wrist and started walking, dragging me behind her. "I'll show you." She opened the door to the girl's dormitories and led me descending down the old black marble spiral staircase. Around us, the entire wall was one window to the lake outside. We passed the doors to the first year dormitories, the second's, thirds, and kept going down until we reached the seventh year girls dormitory room. Bellatrix stepped inside, and I hastily entered behind her.

There was little difference between this dormitory and the one the fifth year Slytherins shared. There was the same circular bare walls of black stone, the glossy smooth floor, the four poster beds with velvet green curtains, and iron bedside tables, with table tops made of glass. But one bed was severely different from the others. The space around the bed was littered with clothing articles and makeup strewn carelessly all over. Also, right next to the bed, amidst the empty chocolate frog wrappers, was a full length mirror.

"See for yourself." Said Bellatrix, I pushed me in front of the mirror.

For one scary second, I couldn't tell which reflected person was me. We were exactly the same. Same height, the same face, the same figure…everything. Nothing on me was my own. It all belonged to her. For some unknown reason, this made my heart beat painfully in my chest. I just stood, gawking at the mirror, willing it to show me something different. Bellatrix laid a hand on my shoulder, her perfect nails closing in. In the mirror, I saw my reflection cringe. She grinned, her eyes gleaming.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

The whole party was sickeningly cheery. Silver and pink balloons floated around the potions classroom, streamers entwining the walls like Devil's Snare, and the merry twinkling of glasses and light conversation echoed in a soothing melody.

I absolutely hated it.

I would want nothing more than to hide in my dormitory. Or maybe scream. I wanted to upend something expensive, to start hexing people randomly, to run until my lungs gave out, if only just to do something. Something was solely my responsibility. But I couldn't. It was as if I had walked into a living nightmare. I was nothing. No, I was worse than nothing; I was a mere imitation, a reflection of a real person. I felt self-hatred pounding in my ears, so much it gave me a headache. My hands shook, and I was unsure what my next move would be. Would I break, and start blubbering in the middle of the party? Perhaps I would faint, I was feeling light headed. There was a sinister creeping sensation coming from my spine, as if someone was looking over my back. I had already glanced behind myself many times, but the unconscious twitch would not cease. I wanted the feeling to stop, but I knew it was just me going paranoid. I had always had that feeling, though until now it had been buried under denial and refusal. But now I knew. When Bellatrix stood next to me at the mirror, deep down, I knew. I was exactly like her. And it shattered my heart.

"Miss Black!" Professor Slughorn approached Bellatrix and I with open arms, his abundant belly straining the shiny buttons on his waistcoat. He bobbed his head up and down pleasantly, his large mustache set quivering.

"What a pleasure, what a pleasure…and is this your sister I've heard so much about?" Bellatrix smiled a sickly sweet smile, one that did not reveal her teeth, but curved the sides of her mouth.

"Yes sir. This is Andromeda. She has been dying to be invited to one of your little parties. Haven't you, Andromeda?" She looked at me expectantly.

"Yes." I said, a little breathlessly. It felt as if my mouth belonged to someone else.

"Well, I shan't get in the way of your pleasantries." Bellatrix said, flashing her smile at Slughorn again. My blood curled. "Go on and tell Professor Slughorn a little about yourself, Andromeda. I'll-I'll fetch drinks, shall I?" And she disappeared into the crowd. Reluctantly, I turned back to Slughorn. Bellatrix's idea to get drinks was probably a bad one; Slughorn's cheeks were already so flushed from intoxication.

"Ah, Andromeda. Yes, we've spoken before in potions, haven't we? Top student, you are." He beamed at me, though his eyes couldn't seem to focus much.

"I was just telling Kettleburn yesterday that if the N.E.W.T. exams were thrust upon you that very day, that you would come out with flourishing marks." At this statement, I blushed. Many teachers boasted about me, I knew that, but the attention still made me feel uneasy. Slughorn continued talking.

"Tell me my dear, are you planning to go into a career involving potions? You would excel brilliantly in any job in that field, I can tell you." He gave me a knowing wink.

"I- I was hoping to work at the Ministry." I said, clutching social cues and desperately wishing I was anywhere but here. "As an astronomer."

"Ah, astronomy!" Slughorn said kindly, nodding. "I have a friend who is in charge of the Department of Astrology at the Ministry, if you'll believe it. Ever heard of Asgeir Haedgard?" I brightened.

"Isn't he the author of Secrets of the Celestial Bodies?"

"Yes." Slughorn said, looking a bit astonished. "But my dear, he's not in any of your textbooks, is he?"

"Oh no. When he started challenging the Laws of Lunar Occultation with his own theory of Lunaesus, he was banned by most of the school records."

"Yes, I know. So how did you hear about him?"

"I did some reading over the summer." Slughorn looked at me with absolute wonder.

"Really? Well, I'll have to tell old Asgeir about this! Won't he be pleased…he doesn't get out much ever since his encounter with a tribe of Scandinavian giants…I'm sure he'll be glad to hear of such enthusiastic students reading his work."

"I didn't know that you liked astronomy, Professor."

"Oh, you know, I dabble in it a bit." Slughorn said modestly, waving his hand carelessly. I could tell from his expression he was getting rather excited.

"You know, it wouldn't be all that difficult to pull a few strings here and there. Not many people are as eager to become stargazers as there once was. With a good dash of hard work, I could help you with that career path. Now, how did you feel about the theory of Lunaesus?" Slughorn asked suddenly. I shrugged apologetically.

"I thought it was rubbish. The thesis was wonderfully written-" I added quickly. "But the theory itself was preposterous." Slughorn nodded wisely.

"My thoughts exactly. But to research over the summer like you have…there have been few students as dedicated as you, Miss Black. Have you read any other books like that?"

"Yes. Uh, have you heard of Madam Krinkew's Book of Advanced Uranology?" Slughorn's eyes popped.

"But that book has been lost to antiquity!" I shrugged.

"We have a copy in the Black family personal library."

"Really?" Slughorn asked, sounding intrigued. "Is it bound in the original black leather?" I nodded. Slughorn grinned. "I will have to give dearest Druella a call then! Have you come across any other fascinating books?"

Our conversation went on like that for some time, Slughorn asking about some priceless book that we Blacks had guarded jealously for years. Bellatrix seemed to be taking forever to get those drinks deliberately now. No doubt she was probably hiding in the crowd, listening to our every word. My suspicions were confirmed when as Slughorn took a breath to start interrogating me, Bellatrix sailed over to us, a glass in each hand.

"Here you are, Professor." She said, graciously giving him a large fluted glass with amber liquid inside. The other glass, I noticed, was filled with some dark orange liquid, which gave off a strong smell of spice. Pumpkin juice. Bellatrix took a sip from this glass. She was hinging too much on this conversation to be intoxicated, I reasoned. She smiled at Slughorn calculatingly.

"You know, as an adult member of the family Black, I could get you some of those books you wanted." Slughorn's cheeks were even more flushed now as he drank deeply from his glass. He eyed Bellatrix, interested. Bellatrix went on.

"Do you think you could arrange an interview with Mr. Grodgreen for me? As a favor?"

"Mr. Grodgreen? Isn't he the head of the Department of Mysteries?" Slughorn frowned.

"Yes." Bellatrix said, her eyes narrowing. "Have you by chance heard of the novel Flyte of the Hippogriffe? The seventeenth century version, I mean." Slughorn let out an audible whimper of longing.

"Well, Grodgreen has been a family friend for ages-" He said. Bellatrix turned to me, smiling triumphantly.

"You are excused." She said rather pointedly. I blushed, and quickly walked away through the crowd.

The Slytherin common room was not far from the potions classroom. I was glad for that. I wanted to be alone with my mixed feeling right now. I tried sorting them out, but they blended themselves into each other, producing cascades of emotions, glistening like colors from a prism. One emotion I had was sadness. Bellatrix was beating Slughorn at his own game right now. Normally, I guess this wouldn't bother me as much as it did, but now I had talked to Slughorn, I began to feel pity for him. I didn't want to cheat or use him. He was proud of me. He had looked at me with wonder in his eyes. That felt good. I didn't want to betray his trust. I added guilt to the list of feelings. I also felt anger, growing anger at myself. I truly did hate myself. Why, oh why did I do it? Because Bellatrix asked me to. But try as I might, I could not find it in myself to be mad at Bellatrix. Why not use me? I was useless for anything else. Bile rose in my throat. I hated these feelings, I wish I could make them for away, but they pressed at me anyway. I was so engrossed with my own self-disgust that I was not watching where I was going. I looked up, and realized I had made a wrong left turn. I turned around to amend my course.

"Expelliarmus!"

My wand flew out of my robe pocket and went spinning into the air. I made to grab it, but it was too fast. It flew down the corridor, to fall to the floor, skidding wildly to a stop. Without thinking, I dashed toward my fallen wand, my heart pounding. But a figure stepped out from the corner he had been hiding in, and stood blocking my way. His wand was pointed at me.

It was that boy, Tonks.

I made to duck under his arm, but he blocked me again. I dodged, and darted the other way, but he just followed me and blocked my way again, his arms outstretched. I grunted in frustration, and tried to move his arm. He didn't budge. I could swear he was staring me with some amusement, which angered me even more. I shoved him in the chest, and though he stumbled, he quickly regained his balance. He stood right in front of me, his face inches from mine. He was smiling, the impudent beast! I stomped my foot angrily.

"Move, why don't you?!" Tonks shook his head, his shaggy hair almost hitting my face. He wasn't smiling anymore, but there still was an amused light in his eyes. He pointed his wand at me.

"Forget about your wand. Follow me." I snarled at him in response. He shrugged, holding his wand up higher.

"Follow me, or I'll hex you."

"You wouldn't-" I fumed. "Coward! Attacking me when my back was turned! You stupid, cowardly, chicken-hearted, dishonorable-" Tonks took a step back, looking uneasy. He kept his wand up resolutely, though. He pointed at my face. My tirade of insults trickled to a stop, and I blanched. At first I was too angry about my wand to think about anything else, but now-would he hex me? I remembered the pain of his attack before, and the black eye I had sported for a week afterwards. I stepped back. He had my wand, that was true, but could I run away? I turned around and sprinted on the spot, heading left down the wrong turn I had made earlier. Tonks followed close behind. I could hear his great loping strides pounding the floor behind me. I ducked and zigzagged as I ran, hoping that if he tried casting a spell, it would miss me. I turned another corner at random; the hall was aglow with the green torches hanging on the walls and the smell of mildew. Suddenly, I stopped, my heart beating rapidly. It was a dead end with a tapestry of a serpent on it, and there were no corridors branching out. I turned around, but it was too late; Tonks had already stopped, blocking the exit. In one hand he had his wand pointed at me, while the other hand clutched his knee. He was doubled over, panting.

"You-you are one queer girl, you know that?" He gasped. I paid no attention to his petty insults. I was sure any moment there would be a flash of light, and blinding pain. I shivered at the thought.

"You've been avoiding me." Tonks continued, straightening. Humiliation at being cornered filled me, and I crossed my arms.

"Oh, stop taunting and get on with it." I said defiantly. Tonks flushed and stammered.

"I'm not-I'm not taunting you-oh darn it, you're making this so hard!" Tonks finished. He was flustered now. I felt a sort of pride in that, but it was small in comparison to my mounting panic. I felt scared to look Tonks in the eye.

"I didn't do anything to Carvil." I said, in a final attempt to justify myself.

"I know." Tonks replied. My hands clenched.

"So why are you doing this?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even. I glanced up at Tonks to see him looking away agitatedly.

"I can't understand you." He said, shaking his head with annoyance. "What are you talking about? Why do you keep sneaking off? You left me in a lot of trouble at the library, you know. Why can't you at least hear me out?" I didn't understand what he was talking about, and honestly I didn't care. All I wanted was him to quickly hex me and get it over with.

"Well, go on then." I said shakily, uncrossing my arms and holding them out. I tried to give him a piercing stare, but instead it felt more like an apprehensive glance. Tonks stared at me, dumbfounded.

"Okay, time out. What do you think I'm here for?" He asked, bewildered. I held my tongue, refusing to answer his question. Tonks folded his arms resolutely.

"I'm waiting for an answer. I'll keep you here all night if I have to." He threatened.

"Why are you so horrible?" I fumed, stomping my foot in frustration.

"Why are you so difficult?" He countered. I did not reply, but instead crossed my arms and stared him down. After a few seconds under my penetrating gaze, he broke down.

"Oh, confound you!"

"Give me my wand back and let's see who gets Confounded first." I snarled. "I've waited long enough, coward. Are you going to curse me or aren't you?"

"What?" He asked, looking startled. He shook his head in amazement.

"Go on. I dare you." Though it was a bold statement, it was a hollow one. I dreaded what would happen next, my face tickling at the memory of his curse. However, I clenched my jaw bravely. Tonks stared at me, then his eyes widened with sudden realization.

"Curse you? Look, you've got it all wrong, I'm not here to try and curse you." His brow was furrowed, and his gaze did indeed looked did seem genuinely appalled. But it all could be just an act. The Black family had done this before many times to catch their prey off guard.

"How do I know that you're not leading me on?" I asked, watching him carefully.

"I'm not." Tonks said, lowering his wand slowly, so that it pointed at the floor in front of him. The twitch of his wand made me cringe, and I think he noticed. His brow deepened, and he looked down at his wand anxiously.

I bolted. Ducking past him, I ran for the exit.

"Wait!" The air seemed to crackle. I stopped dead, and bit my lip. I knew, even before I turned around, that his wand was trained on me. Quickly composing myself, I turned around. Sure enough, he had his wand directed at me. He watching me with a slight frown. My hopes of escape melted away, replaced again by fear.

"I thought you said you weren't going to curse me." I said, a little accusatory.

"I need you to hear me out." Tonks said uncomfortably. "Don't go yet. Just listen, why don't you?!" He stamped his foot.

"Why should I?" I asked. "You've cursed me before, so why should I believe you won't do that again?"

"Your attitude isn't helping." Tonks snapped, then took a deep breath.

"It was an accident." Tonks explained. "I'm sorry, all right? That's what I'm here to tell you, but every time I get near you, you disappear!"

"Then why did you send me that challenge to a wizard's duel?"

"What challenge?" He asked, looking puzzled. "I never sent you a challenge."

"Yes you did!" I flared up. "Stop acting so innocent. It said to meet you in the Charms corridor after curfew." Tonks stared into space, thinking. A moment later, he startled me by slapping his forehead suddenly.

"Oh! You thought I had written a challenge! Blimey, I guess it did sound like a challenge. Ugh, stupid!" He slapped his forehead again for good measure. "No, I just wanted meet you in the Charms corridor to apologize."

"After curfew?" I asked, unconvinced. Tonks shuffled awkwardly.

"I didn't want my friends to know. They all feel pretty bad about the whole accident, but they reckon you probably deserved it." He looked slightly sick, and kept glancing around uncomfortably. "But I felt horrible. I knew you hadn't done anything wrong, and I had punished you anyway. My conscience was eating away at me. So…sorry." He finally looked at me, straight into my eyes. His eyes were a light color of blue, which contrasted well with his tawny hair and freckles. He wanted my forgiveness, I realized. You couldn't fake a look of remorse like that.

"Yeah." I said, my mouth dry. "Okay. I forgive you." Tonks looked immensely relieved.

"Thanks." I nodded at him.

"I guess I'm sorry about the library thing then."

"Uh...no worries." Tonks said awkwardly.

"How did you know I would be coming down this way?" I asked.

"Oh, that." Tonks actually laughed. "I was at Slughorn's party. I was shocked when I saw you there; you've haven't been at one of his parties before, have you? Anyway, you didn't seemed to notice me, you were too busy talking to Professor Slughorn about all those rare books in your library at home." I blushed, my earlier guilt at tricking the teacher washing over me. Tonks seemed to notice my change. "I mean, I didn't mean to be listening to your conversion. I wasn't really; I just heard a few words. I didn't recognize you at first, I thought you were Bellatrix." My stomach clenched.

"Yeah. Lots of people think that I'm like Bellatrix, don't they?" I said. Tonks noticed the anger in my voice in surprise. "Well, no, I mean, you guys look alike, but-"

"We're not the same." I said suddenly. I hadn't planned on saying that, but it came out anyway. The pain in my stomach grew.

"I didn't say you were." Tonks said, aghast. "I don't think you are the same at all! She's horrid. But you-" He looked at me, turning his head slightly. "You're- not." These words had a strange effect on me. The pain in my stomach went out, and some of the mixed feelings I had been having lessened. They were still there, thrashing inside my head, but I felt a little less attached to them now. I looked at Tonks in the eyes, thinking.

"Thanks." I said, and meant it. He shrugged.

"I was just saying what I think." He said, a little gruffly. There was an awkward silence.

"That was a really good bit of magic with the parchment plane." I told him. "Was it a Tracing jinx and Levitating charm?"

"Yeah, it was." Tonks said, glad for the conversation. "My uncle showed me how to do that. They use those charms at the Ministry, you know. For their memos. My uncle works in the Department of Magical Transportation." Tonks said this proudly. "I go to his office all the time, and it's always filled with memos. Come to think of it, that's probably why Professor Slughorn invites to his gatherings. I practically live at my uncle's house, and I'm the only student that's related to a person in that department right now." He grinned, and his whole face seemed to light up. "I don't believe I've ever introduced myself properly." He said rather suddenly. He stuck out his hand. His wand had been dropped to his side earlier. "I'm Ted." He said, smiling. "Ted Tonks." I hesitantly took his hand.

"I'm Andromeda. Andromeda Black." I told him, and we shook.

"Well, I'm glad we got to meet each other like civilized people." Tonks said politely. "Oh, let me-Accio Andromeda's wand!"

My wand came pelting down the corridor towards him. He caught it in his free hand, and handed it to me with a flourish.

"What kind of wand is that? Silver lime?"

"Aspen and unicorn hair." I corrected him, and stashed the wand back into my robes.

"My wand has a unicorn hair core too." He said, also putting his wand away. "Sorry I disarmed you earlier." He said. By unspoken agreement we started walking back up the corridor together. I shrugged.

"I understand why you did it now, at least. It's probably a good thing you disarmed me, in a way. I probably would have cursed you into oblivion." Tonks looked sideways at me, trying to tell whether I was teasing or not.

"It would be no more than I deserve." He said somberly. "So, I guess I'll see you around?"

"I guess." I said with a shrug. We were back at the main corridor, one way leading to the Slytherin common rooms, the other leading back to the potions classroom. Tonks nodded goodbye, and walked towards the potions classroom. I went the other way, my mind buzzing.

Judging by how happy Bellatrix was when she came into the common room later that night, she must had gotten a lot out of Slughorn. She was almost skipping with joy.

"Slughorn has given me loads of names. Says I have a bright future." Bellatrix bragged to some of her friends that night. "You really seemed to enchant him, Andromeda." She called over to me. I was sitting in an armchair towards the back, replaying the night's events over in my head. I looked up to see all the Slytherins staring at me with great curiosity. Bellatrix lay curled up on the sofa next to many of her friends. She was still calling out to me.

"He kept telling me what a remarkable student you are." Bellatrix smirked. "You did perfectly."

"Does this mean I don't have to go to Slughorn's parties anymore?" I asked.

"…yes." Bellatrix said, studying me carefully. "No, I don't think your presence is required anymore." Bellatrix turned back to her friends. That was it. No thank you. Just a dismissal. I wasn't needed anymore. I leaned back into my armchair, sighing as the feeling of guilt pressed on me. I had taken advantage over an old man. But it was all for my sister. Surely the circumstances evened themselves out somehow? I was just trying to be an obedient sibling. Bellatrix was talking again to her friends-oh blast it, her followers. That's the right word for it anyway. It was silly of me to pretend otherwise.

"So the old wart then told me that he was friends with Millicent Bagnold-"

"The Minister of Magic?!" A Slytherin girl said excitedly.

"You'll be the most powerful witch in all history before too soon, Bella." Said a Slytherin boy, who was obviously impressed. Bellatrix smiled smugly.

"Yes. Yes I will."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

"Wands away for a moment, please!" Professor Beetleye squeaked to the class from his position in the front. Everyone in the classroom, puzzled, put their wands down. Professor Beetleye always started class with magic. I glanced at Narcissa for an explanation, but she just shrugged and looked away. I sighed, disgruntled. Narcissa had never been this distant before. Come to think of it, ever since Bellatrix told me to come to Slughorn's party, I barely saw Narcissa outside of classes. This troubled me more than I cared to admit. But I knew I was being overprotective. I was just used to her being stuck to my side like glue, that's all. It was good that she was branching out, I thought confidently. I was proud of her.

"Today you're all in for a bit of a treat!" Professor Beetleye said excitedly, his yellowish eyes roving the classroom. He ran a gnarled hand through his wispy gray hair, and smiled broadly with his crooked teeth.

"I've noticed that some of the students in this class are lagging behind-" Narcissa and a handful of others seemed to think the floor looked interestingly and were staring at it intensely.

"So, I've come up with an idea, with the help of the Headmaster." Beetleye continued.

"As an incentive for students, all of the students who score well in this class will get small extra lessons-" The class as a whole groaned. Beetleye waved his hand dismissively.

"No, listen to me. Will get extra lessons to learn whatever advanced spell the class chooses." There was a silence as the class registered this.

"We will now take a few suggestions on what to learn in those classes." Beetleye said tartly. A few students raised their hands. Professor Beetleye pointed to a thin brunette from Gryffindor.

"Could we learn the Disillusionment charm?" The girl asked eagerly. Many students chorused their approval of this suggestion.

"I'm afraid not. That would be in Charms class. But I'm glad you're thinking about the big possibilities. Sky's the limit!" Professor Beetleye told her.

"Anyone else?"

"Please sir-" A Slytherin boy with long blonde hair asked smoothly. "Could we learn the repelling jinx?" Professor Beetleye nodded.

"A fine example!" He said. Taking out his surprisingly long wand, he flicked it at a blackboard behind him. A piece of dusty white chalk flew into the air and quickly wrote on the blackboard:

Repello

"Anyone-" started Beetleye, put was quickly interrupted by Hermia.

"Can we learn a jinx to get rid of vampires?" She asked, and glanced in my direction, smirking. I rolled my eyes.

"I suppose." Said Beetleye, a little unsure. "Though, the likelihood you will ever have need of this spell is slim. There is also the downside you will smell like garlic for a few hours afterward, but I suppose-" He flicked his wand again, and now the blackboard read:

Repello

Alliumulamia

Half of the class now had their hands in the air. Beetleye looked slightly amazed;

No doubt this was the most response he had ever gotten in class before. He pointed randomly at a boy. With a jolt, I recognized Tonks.

"The blasting curse!" He said. Many of his friends nodded in approval.

Professor Beetleye flicked his, wand, and the spell Confringo was added to the list.

Ten minutes later, Professor Beetleye called our suggestions to a stop. The blackboard now read five spells:

Repello

Alliumulamia

Confringo

Expecto Patronum

Ascendio

"We will now hold a class vote." Professor Beetleye announced. "Get your parchment out, and write down one of these five spells. Whichever spell has the most votes, we will learn as part of the extra advanced classes. Quickly now!" I quickly took out my quill and parchment, and hastily scribbled down Confringo. It was simpler spell, and not as showy as Patronuses, but it was fairly practical. As long as your enemy was physical, the blasting spell was bound to come in handy. Narcissa glanced over my shoulder.

"I'm voting for Repello." She said. "I think it's brilliant." When she said this however, her eyes traveled to the Slytherin boy that had suggested that spell. He was in the sixth year, with smoky gray eyes and long blonde hair. Come to think about it, he would have looked a lot like Narcissa if not for his defiantly squared jaw and lordly gaze. Narcissa let out a little sigh. I wondered at that. Could Narcissa-

"Time's up!" Professor Beetleye said happily, and gave an enthusiastic wave of his wand. The air was suddenly filled this parchment as a piece from each desk soared over the Professor Beetleye's desk and piled themselves together neatly. After a few tense moments as Beetleye sifted through the papers, he looked up at the hushed crowd.

"The advanced group will be learning-" He looked down at his paper. I leaned forward in my chair.

"Expecto Patronum!" He announced. The class broke into happy whispers at that. I had expected that spell to be the most popular. It was supposed to be a beautiful, powerful spell, to be shown an animal that embodies one's personality. I was suddenly scared. What if I learned how to make a patronus, but it resembled nothing? A shadow patronus, a mere reflection- would I be able to produce one at all? Did I have enough of independent personality to conjure a patronus? Or worse, would my patronus be the same as Bellatrix's?

"So, I suggest the class start studying with renewed vigor, if they wish to pass into these exclusive classes. I must warn you, there will be no second chances, and even if you are exceptionally gifted in these lessons, it will take immense studying for you to succeed. These exams will take place next week, same time." Professor Beetleye looked around intently. "Even if you do not pass, I want you to understand that these exams will be much of the same material that will be used for the O.W.L.s. So please, do not take this class lightly. With that said, I would like you to turn to page three hundred and seventeen of your textbooks-" And with that, class began.

"Dracula, wait up!"

We were in the fourth floor corridor, just getting out of Defense Against the Dark Arts. My head was swimming as I tried to calculate how much extra time I would have to devote to studying in order to pass the exam. I needed to deepen my knowledge of Malamancy, which we had only skimmed the surface on, and counter curses against reanimated-

"Dracula!" Hermia was still calling to me in the crowd. I continued to ignore her. I couldn't even find it in myself to feel scared or angry. I was too busy wondering if chimaeras or hydras would be featured on the O.W.L.s. I hoped that Professor Kettleburn would at least show us one or two Grecian monsters; just to get the proper feel- I was shoved hard on the back. I turned around coolly to face Hermia, my face impassive. Her bag she had on her shoulder showed she supported the Quickfly Quafflesnatchers, a popular Quidditch team in France. Her tie was hanging rather loosely; she must have done that as soon as she got out of class. I looked at her expectantly.

"It is really true that you Blacks eat muggle hearts?" She asked, sneering. "Elliot and I have a bet. So? Your own blood is supposed to be black as midnight, so you feed off muggle blood instead. Do you roast the hearts over an open flame, until they crackle?"

I had begun to feel a little sick, and was sincerely wondering why I had stopped in the first place. Had I been confounded? I shook my head, disgusted, and started walking away, but Hermia followed me, like some foul slimy leech.

"I bet you drink muggle blood in some creepy silver goblet at night with the full moon-" I let out a small huff of indignation. Was she a witch, or wasn't she? Vampires had absolutely nothing to do with the full moon, and silver was a common allergen to vampires. She, of course (wallowing in her own ignorance, I might add), continued much like this.

"Or do the Black family even cook the hearts? Carol Burnsteen says they eat it while it's still beating, tearing it apart like some feral-" I whirled on her.

"Oh, honestly. Don't you have a life? You can't prove any of those stupid rumors you and your nasty little friends say about the House of Black, so just stop it!"

"Oh really?" Hermia asked, her eyes narrowed. She opened her bag quickly, and brought out a compact mirror.

"Look!" She opened it, and thrust it my face, causing me to cough at all the makeup powder spewing from it. In the small round mirror, my breath caught. Bellatrix- no. It was me.

"What do you see?" She asked. I went pale. Did she see Bellatrix inside me too? Is that why she hated me so much? If that's what she saw, then I could hardly blame her. Bellatrix had done many terrible things, many that I had turned a blind eye to. I knew that, deep down. If I was someone else, I might want to hurt me too.

"What do you see?!" Hermia asked again. It was hard enough to feel like I had this dark, unclean consuming part of me that was Bellatrix, but for other people to see that too…

"That's when you know you're a vampire." Hermia said, gleeful at my reaction. She was spitting venom in her voice. "When you look into the mirror and see nothing. What are you, Andromeda?" Hermia's voice was raised, and the people in the corridor were stopping and staring. I couldn't stop a tear from escaping my eyes and sliding down my cheek.

"You're nothing!" Hermia answered for me, and laughed.

"Hey, lay off her!" Said a voice angrily from the crowd. It was Tonks. He was coming up the corridor, surrounded by his friends. His shaggy hair was flicked to one side, and he gave Hermia a piercing glare. Hermia's cheeks flushed. For once, she seemed lost for words. She shrugged, and gave Ted a pouting smile.

"Whatever, Ted." And with a final glance to me, she stalked away. Everyone was staring at me, some looking curious, others amused. Tonks glared at them all, as if challenging them to make fun of me again. Then the corridor was alive again, and people turned their attention away from me to lunch, which they would be late for if they did not hurry. Then, wiping the tear off my face with my sleeve, I turned the opposite direction and fled.

"Andromeda!" Tonks jogged past me a few minutes later. I was crouched on the ground, hiding behind a suit of armour. Most students didn't come this way unless they wanted the quickest route to the seventh floor, as there was a secret door behind a portrait of a pockmarked wizard. I wanted to be alone right now, and this was the closest place. Tonks stopped when he saw me, and looked distinctly uncomfortable.

"Are you-you all right?" He asked, looking down at me sympathetically. "I had no idea what a git Hermia was-" I hastily stood, wiping me face off hastily. Tonks stood there, one hand in his pocket.

"You didn't need to come and find me." I said. I felt embarrassed and rather frustrated at myself. Tonks shrugged.

"I just felt bad-"

"I don't need any of your Gryffindor chivalry, thanks." I snapped at him. He looked surprised, and almost instantly reddened. Now I was even more frustrated at myself. Tonks didn't deserve to be snapped at.

"Sorry." I mumbled. "I didn't mean it like that." I sighed. Tonks nodded awkwardly.

"We probably shouldn't be seen together." I said quickly. "Your friends will think it's odd that you're talking to a Black."

"What?" Tonks said. "Nah, I don't care anymore. You're all right. Besides, you're not like other Blacks. I mean, your family must be nice and all-" I let out a hollow laugh. He shrugged and grinned.

"Well, maybe it's just you then."

"Why do you say I'm different from them?" I asked, a note of desperation creeping into my voice. Tonks seemed to sense it, and was thoughtful for a moment.

"You stopped Bellatrix from torturing me. I thought Blacks were supposed to be unforgiving, but you aren't. You thought I had cursed you on purpose, but you still stopped Bellatrix from getting revenge. Why did you stop her?" I struggled to find words to answer him with.

"I- I understand how it feels to be hurt by Bellatrix. She hasn't been exactly a- kind sister." I mumbled. "I wouldn't wish her anger on anyone." Tonks stared at me, his eyes warm.

"Thank you. After all I've done to you, to try and defend me like you did is quite an achievement. That's why I think you're different from all the other Blacks. You are nice. Don't try denying it. You might be withdrawn, mysterious, and the queerest girl I've ever met, but deep down, you're nice. You're a good person."

"But how do you know?" I asked, exasperated. "I could be acting, or lying, or maybe I put a slow-acting poison in your pumpkin juice-" Tonks laughed, but I continued to shake my head.

"And I'm a Black. Do you understand what that means? I've lived with all kinds of things for years, things you can't even imagine. Does your uncle torture your little sister when she spills water on his papers? Does your father make illegal deals, and then talks about them at the dinner table? Does your mother care about you as much as the ornament on a shelf?!" My voice was steadily getting louder and louder. "Are you watched every second of the day by people who want to warp and twist your mind into a shape to fit their needs? That you're probably sure that your sister is going to do something really, really bad, and there's nothing you can do about it? Do you have to guard every single personal thought you have as the only thing you really have? Because nothing else is your own, everything else is dark and grim and Black…It's all theirs. It's like you've fallen and can't get up. Do you understand how that feels?!" I was quivering, rooted to the spot. Tonks was no longer laughing. He was staring at me, like he had never seen me quite before. I didn't care. I felt so drained, so empty, so Black. Hogwarts had been my only refuge, but I couldn't just hide from it. So maybe Hermia was right, I thought dimly. My blood was Black. It pulsed through my body. I was trapped.

"You're right. I don't understand." Tonks said after a moment. "But I know I'm right. You are a good person. Despite everything that has happened to you, you've gone through it all and are still good." He said, his face resolute. "You're tougher than they are. You've resisted this long. You are good." He stared me down, looking stubborn as a mule. I blinked, tears spilling from my eyes. Through my tears though, I smiled at him weakly.

"You're-you're a good person too, Tonks." I said shakily, and held out my hand to him.

Tonks looked surprised, and took my hand quickly. I shook it, and a grin stretched over his face. He shook his shaggy hair ruefully.

"You are a queer one, Andromeda."

"The same to you, Tonks."

"Call me Ted."

"Okay…Ted."

Maybe I was wrong to say the change started with the Sorting Hat. Granted, It had opened my narrow Black mind to the possibility I could be different. It had opened a door that I had long ago considered locked. So, although it had been a milestone, and therefore should be noted, I think the most important part was when I met Tonks.

This was a new feeling. To know someone who didn't want to use you, or manipulate you, or control you. It was new to have someone that you knew was on your side, without having to ask. An ally. No, it was more than that, something new and strange and wonderful.

I had a friend.

Tonks had been nice to me. No one but Narcissa ever had been nice to me. And he had been sympathetic, kind, and caring. He felt bad that an oddball know-it-all was being teased. I wanted to be more like him.

He didn't make the uncomfortable feeling about Bellatrix go away. I doubted anyone could. But the tormented feelings were muted around him. His sense of righteousness was infecting.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Two days after our encounter in the corridor, Tonks came up to me outside the Great Hall in front of the Grand Staircase. Before he could reach me though, I quickly turned away and started walking for the side room off of the Entrance Hall. Tonks looked puzzled, but followed. When we were both in the room, I closed the door quickly.

"What was that about?" Tonks asked quizzically.

"I don't want anyone to see us together." I said, looking around the room.

"Why not?" Tonks asked, looking disgruntled. "Look, I've already told you, I don't care what my-"

"Just trust me." I said quickly. "I'll tell you later. Now, what is it?"

"I was going to ask if you would like to spend some time together today. Would you?" Tonks asked, a grin creeping on his face. I looked at him curiously.

"What?"

"I thought if it would be nice to have time to talk."

"Oh-okay." I said, completely at a loss. "But what about your friends?"

"You are a friend. Aren't you?" Tonks questioned.

"If you want."

"My other friends are in Gryffindor tower, studying." Tonks told me. "So I thought if you wanted to study together-"

"Um…Okay." I adjusted my book bag. "In the northern corner of the library, then?" Ted nodded, looking relieved.

"But don't you have to go get your textbooks?" He asked.

"Oh, I have them all right here." I said, tugging on my book bag. Ted eyed it.

"No way. Everything couldn't fit in that, it'd burst!"

"It has an undetectable portal charm on it." I said proudly. "It was either that, or an extension charm. When I put my hand in this bag, my hand goes to my chest in the Slytherin common room, so I can grab everything I need. You know, before the Statute of Secrecy, lots of wizards used this charm to impress muggles. They would enchant top hats and pull out rabbits, that sort of thing. Professor Flitwick told me about it when I asked him. The only drawback to the charm is that I have to keep the chest open." I shrugged. Tonks stared at me in amazement. I felt my cheeks blush.

"Well, ever since someone slipped a Parchment-Sniping Toadhopper into my bag and ate my History of Magic textbook, I've had to be careful what-" Tonks burst out laughing. I smiled, one eyebrow arched as he continued laughing, tears in his eyes.

"Can you repeat that? What exactly did someone slip into your bag?" I rolled my eyes.

"Ha ha. You're funny. They are real, you know. Parchment-Sniping Toadhoppers. Check page two hundred and thirty-six in Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them, if you don't believe me."

"Oh, I believe you, all right." Tonks snorted.

"You won't think it's so funny when I sneak one into your underwear drawer." I said peevishly. Tonks gawked at me, and it was my turn to laugh. It was an unfamiliar sensation, but not unpleasant. It made me feel closer to Tonks, somehow. Tonks shook his head.

"You're really an extraordinary person when you lighten up." Tonks told me. "Meet you in the library?"

"Meet you in the library." I echoed, and Tonks opened the door for me. We both walked out, Tonks heading for the Grand Staircase. With one final glance, I started to head for the library.

When Tonks caught up, I already had a table picked out, my textbooks and notes spread out in front of my orderly. Tonks sat down opposite me, and heaved his school bag onto the table.

"That's quite a collection of notes you have there." He looked at my thousand-page binder, stuffed to the brim.

"Thanks. I keep all the notes I take from previous years, and most of the notes I make over the summer." I pushed the binder over to him. He looked at the title, perplexed.

"This says it's Defense Against the Dark Arts. So is that like the first set of notes in here? He opened the binder, and started thumbing through the pages.

"They're all Defense Against the Dark Art Notes, if that's what you're asking about." I stuck my hand into my bag, and groped around for a moment.

"And these-" I pulled out an equally stuffed binder. "Are my Transfiguration notes." Tonks looked at them, stunned.

"Maybe I should start taking more notes." He said weakly. I put the Transfiguration notes back into my bag.

"I thought we should start with Defense Against the Dark Arts." I said carefully. "Unless you want to work on something different."

"No, I agree." Tonks said earnestly. "I want to pass that exam badly. I think it'll be fun, learning to do patronuses." I nodded in agreement.

"But first," I said quickly. "We need to discuss something." Tonks looked nervous.

"Okay." He said, looking confused. I took in a deep breath. This had been worrying me ever since I left him in the Entrance Hall.

"We need to keep it secret that we're meeting together. Now, I know what you're going to say-" I kept him from interrupting with a hand, his mouth open as he prepared to argue. "But it's more than just your friends, Ted. It's more than a Black and a Gryffindor meeting together. I'm worried about Bellatrix will do if she finds out."

"You're scared of your own sister?" Tonks asked, looking stricken.

"You would be too." I said darkly.

"But why would she try to keep us away from each other?" Tonks asked. I shrugged.

"She's very jealous. She keeps us close to her." A shiver went down my spine. "Bellatrix is hard to predict. At the very least, she'll think I'm being disloyal to the Blacks. She would never allow us to see each other."

"But she can't do anything." Tonks scoffed. "We're at Hogwarts!" I looked at him incredulously. Tonks sighed.

"Okay, okay. Forget about Bellatrix. What about your other sister, the blonde one? Is she as nutters as the other one?"

"No. But I don't think we should tell her either. I'm just afraid she might let slip to Bellatrix." Tonks shook his head.

"You have one messed up family. Okay, so we can't let Bellatrix know, or anyone around Bellatrix?"

"I'll understand if you don't want to meet me again." I said hurriedly. "You're right, it's too complicated. If Bellatrix finds out, we'll both be in trouble. I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess."

"Hang on!" Tonks said angrily. "I'm not about to run off just because of your sister! You should be able to have friends without her watching over your shoulder." I sunk into my armchair, relieved.

"Thank you, Ted."

"There's nothing to be thankful for." Tonks said awkwardly. "I'm just being a friend." I smiled dryly.

"Maybe that's why I don't understand you." He shrugged.

"We should probably start working. Do you understand anything on what to do when faced by a carnivorous plant? I haven't the faintest idea."

"Hang on, I did a report on that!" I said brightly, reaching down for my bag.

"You have a report on carnivorous plants?"

"For extra credit."

"Of course." Tonks said, throwing his hands into the air. "Andromeda: the wonder student. Remind me to bring you along if I ever have the sudden urge to go through a jungle of man-eating vegetation." I smirked at him, and stuck my hand into my bag. My fingers brushed something furry. Had I accidentally placed a sweater in my chest? I frowned, and picked the furry object up. Taking it out of my bag, I glanced at it. Two brown eyes were staring back at me. I let out a muffled scream, and dropped the object, jumping to my feet. The object landed on the table, scattering notes and parchment everywhere. It was Brutus.

It was hard to get Tonks to stop laughing after that.

The next few days with Tonks were the best. He would sneak away from his friends and come meet me in the library. Together we would sit between classes, chatting and working on homework. I learned a lot more about Tonks, stuff I had never thought of before. For instance, I learned he was an only child, his mother was a muggle museum director, and his father worked as a famous wizard archeologist.

"Maybe you've heard of him?" Tonks asked me hopefully. "My dad and a group of other wizards were the first to discover traces of levitating charms at Stonehenge." I also learned trivial stuff, like what his favorite sandwich was, and whether he preferred playing Exploding Snap or Gobstones.

"Definitely not Gobstones." Tonks said, a sour expression on his face. "When I was little, a cousin played a game of Gobstones with me. I lost a point, and the putrid liquid was sprayed accidentally right into my mouth." He wrinkled his nose. "I'll never forget the taste." Tonks, in turn, learned a lot about me.

"So, I knew Uncle Ganymede had been snooping around, trying to steal something from me to fund his shadowy business." I was telling Tonks one day as I sifted through notes on the best way to exterminate Ashwinders.

"So, I put a jinx on my stuff. If Uncle Ganymede touched anything, it would become glued to his fingers, and start shrieking insults at him."

"What happened?" Tonks asked excitedly.

"The next day, Uncle Ganymede came running down the stairs, with one of my necklaces scolding him about his hygiene. Grandmother Black was so angry with him when she realized he was the one who took her favorite pair of earrings, that she started whacking him with a rolling pin!" Tonks had chuckled at that.

The next day he had taken me with him to the Owlery to visit his pet Owl, Frey. Frey was a large tawny barn owl, with the color of his wings much the same color as Tonks's hair. Tonks had held Frey on his arm so that I could stroke Frey's wings. They were soft and strong, and as long as my forearm to boot. Tonks told me that Frey hardly ever let someone pet him. Brutus prowled just behind the Owlery door, pouncing on the feathers that strayed out onto the stairs beyond. It had been such a wonderful day.

You would have thought that the O.W.L.s had come early. It was the day of the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, and fifth year students from all of the houses seemed to be getting nervous. Around the Great Hall at breakfast, students read avidly as they ate, their textbooks propped against jars of marmalade. I could just barely see Tonks over at the other end of the Hall, fretfully skimming the binder of notes I had let him borrow, his plate of biscuits lying forgotten. Narcissa sat next to me, looking nervous and peaky. I was surprised that she had not confronted me about my absence in the hours I spent with Tonks. I had expected her to be the first person to question me about my disappearances, but she did not even seem to notice.

"You should eat something." I chided her. She just stared at the table, as if wishing to become a part of it.

"I'm not hungry." This in itself was alarming news. Narcissa, it was common knowledge, was the pig of the Black family. She could tuck away loads of food and ask for more. She was also the skinniest Black, which caused her to get many jealous looks from our aunts, sometimes even our mother, though she was quite skinny too.

"You've never refused food before." I worried. "Are you feeling ill? Maybe you should stop by the Hospitial Wing-"

"It's not that." Narcissa said wearily. "It's this stupid test. I just know I'm going to fail!"

"Even if you do, then that just means you don't have to do extra classes." I pointed out.

"I suppose so." Narcissa said reluctantly. "But I really wanted to learn how to make a patronus. Now I'm going to have to wait until the seventh year."

"You don't know for sure." I said encouragingly. Narcissa just shook her head and got up. Glumly, she walked out of the Great Hall by herself. I was really worried now. Narcissa never blew me off like that before. I couldn't help feeling I was falling out of touch with her. But every time I went to the common room to look for her, she wasn't there. It was so frustrating. I shut Magick Moste Evile, and left the rest of my toast on my plate untouched.

On the fourth floor, just outside of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, I saw Tonks coming behind me, looking agitated. Three of his friends were following him, smirking at each other. Out of curiosity, I ducked behind a bust of Bartholomew the Befuddled to listen in. The group of boys got nearer.

"Come on, Tonks! We've been your friends for years! You can tell us!"

"I already have!" Tonks replied wearily. One of the boys snorted.

"Right. Like we're going to believe that excuse."

"It's true!" Tonks said angrily. "I want to study on my own, guys. No goofing off. Our O.W.L.s are coming up, and I want to be prepared, all right?" All three boys huffed in unison.

"Bet you ten galleons he's pulling some prank on Filch again." One boy announced. "Let us in on it, wouldn't you Tonks?"

"Yeah, I reckon you're right about that." Another boy agreed. "After the surprise at the library, I guess he's getting ready to pull another stunt-"

"I've already told you, Prewett!" Tonks fumed. "I didn't do that on purpose. It was a mistake!"

"Is it detention then?" Asked a particularly pompous Gryffindor.

"No!" Said Tonks. "It's none of your business."

"Ooh!" The boy said, exchanging glances with the others. "So you are hiding something!"

"No." Tonks firmly, walking quickly now. "So shove off."

"Is it a girl?" A boy, the one Tonks had called Prewett, asked mischievously.

"Shove off!" Tonks sputtered. Prewett laughed, looking amazed.

"It is a girl, isn't it? I was just joking, but the look on your face-" Tonks whirled around, and dashed off down the corridor. The boys watched his retreating back.

"I didn't mean to upset him." Prewett said regretfully. "I guess we shouldn't have given him such a hard time."

"He'll get over it." Another boy said brashly, though he also looked uncomfortable. "We've embarrassed him plenty of times before. But golly, our Tonks seeing a girl." He snickered.

"Why do you think he's hiding her from us?" Asked Prewett curiously.

"He probably knew how we'd react." Said the pompous one reasonably. The other two boys muttered in agreement.

"If I was seeing a girl, the last people I'd tell is you lot." One boy chortled.

"What should we do?"

"About this? Give him hell, of course!" And they went down the corridor, laughing merrily.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

I met Tonks shortly after the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam. He was anxiously pacing around what we had decided was 'our table' in the library. I came rushing it, breathless.

"Sorry, I got held up by Bellatrix. You've been waiting a while?" Tonks looked up.

"What? Oh, no. I was just thinking of the exam. It was incredibly hard. If that's a taste of what the O.W.L.s are going to be like, I might want to drop out of school right now." He ran a hand through his hair, looking extremely anxious. I put my book bag down on the table.

"It was rather difficult. Between the questions about giants and Inferi, I don't know if I'll pass."

"Oh please." Tonks scoffed. "Don't try to be modest, it doesn't suit you. You know as well as I that you could have taught the class." I shrugged, abashed.

"Am I supposed to jinx you or thank you?" I asked.

"Let's keep it at a draw and say neither." Tonks said, sitting down. Taking out his textbooks, he also grabbed two colorfully decorated wrappers.

"After that exam, I'm starving. Here, catch." And he threw me one of the wrappers. I caught it, and looked at the packaging.

"A Cauldron Cake?"

"They're delicious." Tonks assured me, unwrapping his own. Between bites of his bubbling Cauldron cake, he asked me:

"So, there's still something about you that I want to ask." I was fumbling to unwrap mine, and looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"Well, most of my friends have siblings," Tonks said, carefully swallowing the hissing sugar potion in his cake cauldron.

"But their siblings are never in the same year. But you and Narcissa are. So you guys are the same age. Isn't that a little weird?" I shrugged.

"I guess. You're right, Narcissa was born only a couple of months after me, though I was born two years after Bellatrix." My cauldron cake was now unwrapped, and the green potion sloshing around, but never spilling. I stared at it suspiciously, wondering how it would taste. I took a small bite out of the rim of the cauldron. Yum. The dark chocolate melted in my mouth like magic, which, I could assume, it was.

"My mother-" I said between mouthfuls. "Wanted a boy to carry on the Black family name. But when I was born, my family was devastated. Not only was I not a boy, but it was also clear that I would look exactly like Bellatrix. My parents weren't happy with a replica." I smiled grimly, shaking my head. "The first words my mother said after I was born were: 'Another one?'. She's not exactly the caring type." Tonks looked horrified.

"Just because you weren't born a boy? No parent should act that way toward their kid!"

"Yeah, well, don't forget I also looked like Bellatrix. I wasn't born interesting enough." I told him bitterly. I tried the potion in the cake. The fizzing feeling was odd, but pleasant. "So when my mother had another kid the same year, it was Narcissa. My parents were disappointed in her too. They still wanted to have a boy heir. But at least Narcissa was beautiful." A lump formed in my throat, and I set the rest of the Cauldron cake aside. "She is beautiful. Fair hair, pale skin, warm eyes-so they were happy with her. Mostly."

"That's horrible." Tonks said, scowling. His Cauldron cake was gone, and crumbs littered the table space in front of him.

"Narcissa can't help it. I know she feels sorry for me. But I think now, I'm glad that the other Blacks hate me. I don't want to be like them. I rather be like you, Ted." Ted blushed a fierce red colour.

"You don't have to be like anyone, Andromeda. You're amazing on your own." He mumbled. There was an awkward silence as the two of us digested each other's praises. Tonks picked up a piece of parchment.

"So how much do you know about the moons of Mercury? I still have to fill out this stupid star chart."

"Tonks?"

"Yes?"

"The planet Mercury has no moons." I informed him. Tonks sighed, and then laughed.

"What would I do without you, Andromeda?"

"Fail Astronomy, for starters." Tonks punched me lightly on the arm.

The Great Hall was filled with students chattering and babbling happily. Dinner was spread out on the four House tables, the smells drifting up to the enchanted ceiling, which was a mural of light pink and dusky purples as the sun sank in the west.

But at the Gryffindor table, Tonks was being interrogated. He was simply mobbed by a good group of Gryffindors, all with humorous expressions. Tonks, however, did not look as jovial. He was angrily waving a textbook in their face, along with his now completed star chart. It was easy to guess the subject of their conversation. Apparently the word that Tonks was secretly seeing a girl had spread through the Gryffindors like wildfire. Honestly, you would have thought all the other boys had never seen a girl before; by the way they were acting. Wizards, I thought rationally, were a mystery. I speared my peas with renewed vigor. The question now was how could Ted and I continue meeting each other without anyone noticing? Was there a spell against nosy friends? The Disillusionment charm might work, but then we would also be invisible to each other. I would have to research that matter. Narcissa was shoving food into her mouth as politely as she could. She had already consumed so much Shepard's pie, it was a miracle she didn't burst. This was the Narcissa I knew. I smiled at her, and she took a moment to smile back before engulfing yet another bite.

"Did you pass the exam, then?" I asked.

"Nope!" Narcissa said happily, her eyes on her food. "Failed miserably. I'm just glad that it's over!" I shook my head, not sure how to react to this information. Suddenly, the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables went silent. I peered over at the tables to see what was wrong. Madam Pince was standing between the two tables, her small eyes astonishingly bright. This was odd, Madam Pince usually ate her dinner in the library, propped up a moth eaten armchair and reading. Now she was here, scanning the tables with a look of such malice, the students nearest her leaned away. The Headmaster and the teachers up in front were looking at Madam Pince too, all with similar curious expressions. Madam Pince stomped up and down the length of the Hufflepuff table, and then the Ravenclaw's. Students fell silent at her small figure, her fizzy white hair adding to the look of rage on her face. She paraded down the Gryffindor table, stopping to stare into student's faces. They all looked extremely alarmed. What was she doing? Finally Madam Pince turned from the Gryffindors, and marched toward us, her glance like death itself. The old witch walked slowly, purposefully, looking each student directly in the eyes. A sudden loud, whirling noise filled the hall, causing everyone to jump. Madam Pince eagerly took a Sneakoscope out of her apron pocket, and held it in her gnarled hands. She looked up, a look of triumph on her face, and glared at a group of Slytherin seventh years.

"Ah ha!" Madam Pince said. "Professor Slughorn, may I interrupt you for a moment?" At the teacher's table, Slughorn started.

"What? Oh yes, of course Irma." He got up hastily, adjusting his waistcoat, and tripping over his robes, he bumbled over to Madam Pince. When he reached her side, Madam Pince told him crisply:

"One of the students in your House sneaked into the back of the library last night, and stole a some of the banned books that were to be burned next Hogsmeade weekend." A mutter ran out through the hall. The headmaster stood up, his bright blue eyes unreadable. Slughorn tugged on his mustache anxiously.

"The Dark Arts spell books? Oh dear. And who, may I ask, is the felon?" Madam Pince shook with boiling anger.

"Her!" She seethed, and pointed at Bellatrix. I heard Narcissa gasp beside me. I clapped my hands to my mouth, but I was too shocked for words. The other students in the Great Hall, on the other hand, broke into many hushed whispers at once. I looked at the Gryffindor table. Tonks was staring at Bellatrix, looking stunned. I stared in horror at my sister, transfixed. Slughorn, for a while, could only stutter and gawk.

"Bellatrix Black." He said gravely. "Do you deny these accusations?" The Great Hall was silent again as everyone strained to listen. Bellatrix, however, sat calmer than anyone around her.

"No, professor." She answered.

"Come with me to my office. Now." Slughorn ordered, pulling so hard on his mustache it seemed it might rip off. Bellatrix stood up, cool as ever, and followed Professor Slughorn out of the large double doors. The Great Hall erupted with noise, no longer whispers. Madam Pince turned on her heel and exited the Hall. In all of the commotion, not many noticed the Headmaster lean down, say something to Professor McGonagall, and then exit through a small door off to the side, behind the teacher's table. I glanced back over the crowd at Tonks. His face mirrored many of the same feelings that were building up inside me. But I did feel one, creeping up my spine, that did not show in Tonks face. It slithered inside me, so the hair on the back of my necks stood up. It was fear. What was my sister turning into?

That night in the common room, Narcissa and me walked in to find Bellatrix sprawled on a couch. Her wand was in her wand, and she was twirling it around idly, with green sparks admitting from it. Narcissa hesitantly made her way over to her, and sat on the edge of the couch, next to Bellatrix's feet.

"Bella-" She started, but Bellatrix interrupted her.

"I didn't get expelled Cissy, if that's what you're going to ask." Bellatrix told Narcissa wearily. She looked over at me, standing near the wall.

"I've got detention though for the rest of my life, and I had to return those bloody books. Slughorn had a right old lecture, telling me how disappointed he was, and all about wasted potential." Bellatrix sighed.

"Did they take points off Slytherin?" Narcissa asked.

"Yeah. Two hundred." Bellatrix said casually. I sucked in air, my spirits plummeting. Two hundred House points in one go! That had to be a record!

"Don't look like that." Bellatrix snapped at me. "I don't like that look. I forbid you make that face at me again."

"I wasn't-"

"Quiet! I'm trying to think!" Bellatrix demanded. Both Narcissa and I fell silent.

"The House points don't matter anyway, this is my last year." Bellatrix muttered to herself, ignoring us completely. "And my record is already in tatters. Abolished. Ruined. Ugh!" Her wand admitted a burst of crackling red sparks. "Every time I start to go up, someone pushes me back down. Hogwarts isn't my sanctuary anymore. It's my cage. I need to escape from prying eyes."

"Bella." Said Narcissa timidly. Bellatrix slowly turn her gaze to her, but it was unfocused. Narcissa continued. "Did…did you read anything out of those books?" Narcissa could not hide the excitement in her voice. Her fingers fluttered, as if trying to find something she could not see. A twinge of uncertainty flitted in the back of my mind. Narcissa stared at Bellatrix, waiting. For a moment, it seemed that Bellatrix had not heard her. Then, a smile crept slowly on Bellatrix's face, so that be lip curled.

"Yes. I did."

"What?" Narcissa asked, breathless with awe. Bellatrix slowly sat up.

"Many things. Things that only reside deepest darkest places in human minds, where most do not dare venture. These things slither and crawl and rattle, formless, shapeless, and when unleashed, they can do the most beautiful things. They speak words few can hear, and even less can understand, but when you realize what they're saying…" Bellatrix's eyes closed, her lips slightly parted.

"It burns bright behind your eyelids, blinding like the sun. It's everywhere. And those that understand it can manipulate it, toy with it, caress it into the shape they desire."

"Can you teach me?" Narcissa asked, her eyes filled with wonder. "Can you teach me to control it too?"

"You can't control it!" Bellatrix snarled. Her eyelids fluttered, but did not open. "Can't you see it? It is wild, vicious, and dangerous. That's what makes it so alluring. It cannot be controlled, and it will not be tamed. It is the mightiest tempest. It ensnares and strikes. It pounds inside me. Can you understand that, Cissy?" Bellatrix opened her eyes to stare at Narcissa. Narcissa shook her head sadly.

"You will learn to. You must." Bellatrix said. "You are as blind as the lowliest worms without it. You will learn, Cissy." And Narcissa nodded obediently. Bellatrix turned to me.

"And you? Can you not feel it swirling through your very veins?" I shook my head quickly. Bellatrix grinned so savagely, I squirmed uneasily under her gaze.

"You will have to, in time. Those without it are stripped away, as meaningless as the dirt, and as solid as the wind. You will learn, or else be destroyed."

And she laughed.

The next day was horrible. In the corridors, students would stop and stare at me, pointing and whispering together. But there was no catcalls or teasing. It was anxious rumors and scared glances. Rumors about dark witches floated around, as heavy as smoke in the halls. They followed me everywhere in the castle, coming in all directions.

"Black…a whole family of them…"

"Wasn't expelled yet, but they say-"

"Do you think she knows how to apparate?"

"How else would she have stolen the books?"

"The Blacks are banding together-"

"Swore that she had a wand of elder!"

"Load of rubbish-"

"Muggleborns, yeah, I heard about that-"

These conversations earned me many pointed glares from tall, threatening seventh years, to the accusatory mutters from my fellow fifth years. Even the first years would skirt around me, glancing up frightfully.

And though I got top grades in all my classes, even the teachers were cautious around me, as if I carried the plague. It was like I had been the one that had broken into the library. Even the Slytherins, who usually tolerated my company, now refused to speak to me. That morning, our House went from second place after Hufflepuff for the House Cup, to last place in the running. The hope of winning the House Cup that year had been extinguished in one grand swoop. The Slytherins would boo and hiss when I went by. The enchanted portraits hanging on the walls would run over to the neighboring frames and point me out as I went between classes.

Only three people in the entire school were not mad at me. One of them was Bellatrix. She didn't care about me one way or another, and she herself was enjoying all the attention. She carried her new title as a dark witch like an invisible crown atop her head.

The other person was Narcissa, but I barely saw her outside of classes. She kept sneaking off. Not that I could blame her. I started hiding too, darting into abandoned corners and crevasses, out of sight from the scornful looks of the students.

So, the last person I had was Tonks. At least I knew Tonks was on my side. I didn't see much of him at classes, only the occasional secretive glance, and we wouldn't have time to meet up until after Transfiguration, which was at four o'clock. I just had to survive until then. Tonks would make it worth my while, with his smile and sympathy. I had not realized until then how much I counted on Tonks now. It was like finding out you're crippled after you stumble on a crutch. I waited, immersing myself feverishly in my work to pass the time.


	9. Chapter 8

At exactly four o' clock, I could be seen rushing from the Transfiguration classroom, ahead of the group of Slytherins and Ravenclaws streaming out into the corridor. I hurried toward the library, allowing myself to breathe a sigh of relief. At last, I could loose myself in books, wonderful books.

A hand was on my back. I turned quickly around, reaching for my wand.

It was only Tonks.

He grabbed my wrist to prevent me from getting my wand out, and gave me a questioning grin.

"Not planning on jinxing me? Humph. You're jumpy today, aren't you?"

His tone was faintly amused at catching me off guard. I exhaled the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"You would be jumpy too, after the day I've had of it." I intoned darkly. Tonks turned serious.

"What happened?" He asked. "Were you being picked on again?" I looked into his face, wondering what I should tell him. His shaggy tawny hair fell in a mane about the outline of his face. His clear-cut blue eyes were clouded with worry, his gaze penetrating. His face, I noticed, seemed oddly thin without a grin covering it. I felt a pang of regret, knowing I had stolen that goofy grin from his face with my distressed mood. But I had to tell someone about my problems brewing inside me, or I would go mad. Then again, before I met Tonks, I suppose I must have been slightly mad. Anyone would, feeling bottled and squeezed and stuffed into a corner. Perhaps I was still mad. Was madness something any one individual could take away? Well, even if I was mad, Tonks was mad with me, and that's all that mattered. Tonks was still watching me with his intense eyes, waiting to an answer to his question. Words spilled out of me like they were bubbling over.

"Oh Tonks! It's not that the students who are picking on me anymore! They're all scared of me! The teachers hate me, and so do the Slytherins! It doesn't matter what I do anymore, I'm always given the blame for what other Blacks have done!" I could feel my cheeks heating up with emotion.

"They all blame me for what Bellatrix did, as if I helped her sneak into the library and stole those dreadful books! And now I'm fairly sure Bellatrix has gone loopy, Narcissa won't talk to me anymore, no one in this castle wants anything to do with me except for you, Tonks. It's all so unfair! No matter how many tests I pass, or good I do, they will never see that. It's like they're trying to turn me into something I'm not. The hate and the mistrust and stupid pride…can't they see I would never help do such an awful thing?! You know I didn't do it, right Tonks?" I needed Tonks to understand. Tonks was so good, if he ever deserted me, ever thought I was just another Black…Tonks sputtered.

"Of course I don't think you-how could you even think that?" His face was contorted with pain and confusion. He almost looked angry at my question. A warm, burning sensation coursed through me, like a mug of Butterbeer. No matter if the whole world thought I was Bellatrix, a Black to the core, Tonks was there to bring the real Andromeda out of me. He was my moral compass, and with him I'd never be lost again. On impulse, I flung my arms around him in a tight embrace. I stood there, just to the side of the entrance to the library, the side of my head pressed up against his chest. Tonk's back stiffened.

"Thank you." I needed him so much more than he would ever know. For a few odd moments, he stood like that, stiff as a board. Then awkwardly, he slowly put his arms around me, his hands meeting behind my back. Around our feet, his cloak billowed, the black fabric enclosing my legs.

"Black!" I let go of Tonks so quickly that I accidentally pushed him, so he went stumbling backwards. I twirled around to find Madam Pince marching over, her eyes narrowed viciously.

"Black." She growled. "Why are you here?" I held up my book bag.

"Studying." I said coolly, almost haughtily. In my head, I was replaying the scene that just happened seconds before. I suppose I should be deathly embarrassed. I had never hugged anyone besides Narcissa before. But with Tonks, it felt natural, even right. And it hadn't been awkward, it had been a simple gesture of thankfulness and companionship. Thinking about it, I didn't feel flustered at all. I was quite calm, in fact.

"Studying, hum?" Madam Pince questioned, raising her spectacles to peer into my defiant face. She glared at me so piercingly, I felt as though she was trying to catalogue me along with her books.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you, Black. Remember that. If you so much as glance in the direction of my private office-" She left the threat hanging, and tapped the side of her nose knowingly. Then without further adieu, she swept past me and disappeared among her precious horde of books. Tonks watched her go, then turned back to me.

"She shouldn't treat you like that." Tonks said, scowling savagely. "We ought to report the old bat to a professor."

"But they're all like that." I said with a half-hearted sigh. Tonks shook his head, disgusted. "Should we get going to our table?" I asked. "Before she comes back?"

"What? No, wait…hang on…I just came from there." Tonks dropped his bag to the floor and crouched beside and began sifting through the contents. I knelt next to him, my curiosity aroused.

"What are you looking for?"

"I found this…should have told you earlier this might happen…" He pulled a black orb out of his bag, almost as large as a bludger. It seemed to be made of glass, with some unknown inky liquid swirling within.

"I found it under our table. I kicked it, actually. Bloody painful. Anyway, I was wondering what you thought we should do with it." I cautiously touched the ball's surface. It was smooth and cool to the touch, and inside, the dark liquid churned.

"What is it?" I asked, my fingertips trailing the surface. Tonks stared at me as though I had grown an extra eye.

"You honestly don't know? Really?" I shook my head defensively. Tonks exhaled heavily through his nose.

"The other Blacks are someday going to regret keeping you locked up. Ever been inside Zonko's?" Once again, I shook my head, this time more abashed. Tonks huffed indignantly.

"You poor girl. Watch this." And he carefully shook the glass orb. I stared at it as the liquid began the churn violently, as if a miniature storm reigned inside. Then, through the blackness, I noticed something bobbing freely in the depths of the turmoil. I leaned in, eager to see what the thing was. It was a perfect sphere, coming closer to the glass…an eyeball was watching me, the pupil transfixed toward me. This new development was so entirely unexpected that I fell back with a shocked squeak. Tonks let out a laugh at my befuddled expression, but quickly stifled it.

"You okay?" He chuckled. The eye swiveled to face him, floating gently on the black liquid. The pupil of the eye dilated, then returned to normal, completely mesmerized on Tonks.

"What is that?" I asked, ignoring Tonk's question. I sat up, looking at Tonks, then back to the mysterious ball.

"This," Tonks lifted the ball higher; "Is an Otterloop's Optical Observer. Zonkos sell them; it's a spying product. You just place one of these wherever you like, and they'll watch everything for you."

"But what good does that do?" I inquired. "Can it tell you what it saw? It can't talk, can it?" I looked at the Optical Observer apprehensively, half expecting to see a mouth floating around with the eye. Tonks, however, seemed to think this was extremely funny.

"Ah, no." He snorted. "It can't do anything but see. But it does convert the solution around it into memories of what it sees. Look!" He held the ball up to my face. Indeed, the black liquid around the eyeball was turning into a silvery, gas-like substance.

"Wow." I breathed, momentarily fogging up the glass. "That an amazing piece of magic. But how do you view those memories? I suppose you could do it with a Pensieve, but those are incredibly rare."

"You can view them inside the glass. Here, I can show you." Tonks balanced the ball in one hand as he dug his wand out of his robes.

"Ostendo!" He said, tapping the tip of his wand to the ball. Once again, inside the ball began churning. The liquid formed a small whirlpool, and the eyeball started spinning dizzyingly. The eyeball was caught in the whirlpool's hold, and zipped out of sight. The waters instantly turned calm again. The glass started the fog, a ripple of colors skimmed the surface. Then, the image became focused, reflected on the water. I watched in astonishment as a reflection of my face appeared. My mouth formed a silent squeak, and I watched as I fell out of view. The image flickered, and then it showed Tonk's laughing face, and the picture zoomed in, then out again.

"Weird." I said, shaking my head incredulously. "And they sell these at a joke shop?"

"Hey, joking is an extremely serious practice." Tonks said, and flicked his wand at the ball.

"Finite." The image of Tonk's face mouthing out unheard words dissolved into a cascade of colors, which fizzed in the water before disappearing completely. "But here's the problem." Tonks said, stuffing his wand back into his robes, and handing me the Optical Observer. I frowned at it, thinking.

"Someone placed the Optical Observer underneath our table."

"Yeah. And I have a pretty good idea who it was." Tonks said with a sigh. "Listen, some of my friends have been wondering where I've been going everyday. They're jealous that I'm not spending all my free time goofing around with them. Now they think-" Tonks looked distinctly uncomfortable. "They think I'm seeing a girl." There was an awkward silence.

"I am a girl." I pointed out to him rather bluntly. Tonks stared at me.

"Yeah, well, you are a girl-"

"How observant of you."

"You know what I mean! The other guys probably think I've-I've taken a fancy to someone."

"Well, why don't you just tell your friends that you're not slinking around school snogging a girl?"

"They don't believe me! Every time I do, they just laugh and say they're not buying it. They're the ones that put the spying device here, they must have seen me leaving one day. Now they'll never leave us alone!" Tonks stood, distraught. I stood alongside him; the Optical Observer tucked under one arm. On instinct, we both headed for our table.

"If they knew where we're meeting, why didn't they come here themselves?" I asked. Tonks shrugged.

"Would you like to walk in on your best mate while he's snogging?"

"But you're not snogging."

"I know that!" Tonks retorted, his face turning crimson. "They're too curious. I don't know how long it'll take before they finally find out." Tonks suddenly turned on me, his eyes pleading. "Can't we just tell them? I know you were worried about Bellatrix, but-"

"Do you really want to risk that?" I intoned quietly. "Bellatrix is dangerous. I should know that better than anyone. If she even got scent that I was talking to a Gryffindor half-blood-"

"But what if they keep it a secret?" Tonks implored. I hesitated.

"Do you trust them?"

"With my life." Tonks said solemnly. "Look, they can be a tad...mischievous, but their heart's are in the right place. If they thought we were in danger, they'd never tell anyone, I can promise you that." I slumped in my chair, at a loss.

"You're much more trusting than me, Tonks. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. But I do trust your judgement; if you want to tell them, go ahead." Tonks nodded.

"I'll wait for the right time." He said gently. "When no one's around. They'll like you, Andromeda." He leaned back, rumpling his hair as he did so. "I can't believe you were sorted into Slytherin. The Sorting Hat must have been off that day." Unwillingly I thought of the time I was sorted, and the Sorting Hat's indecision. A prickling sensation creeped up my back. Had I made the right decision in choosing Slytherin? I could have been in Gryffindor, with Tonks- I brushed the thought off. It was too late, there was no use on dwelling in the past.

"We better be getting to lunch." Tonks said, yawning. He took the Optical Observer and unceremoniously stuffed it into his bag.

"You go ahead." I said, taking my Potions textbook out and plopping it onto the table.

"You sure?" Tonks asked, standing. I nodded, already flipping through the textbook's pages. Tonks shrugged.

"I'll see you later, Andromeda."

"Goodbye, Ted." Ted smiled down at me, then disappeared between the towering bookshelves. As soon as he was out of sight, I sighed, closing my Potions textbook. Despite Tonks's assurances, I was still worried. With Bellatrix becoming more unstable, more- unhinged- was it wise to let other people be put at risk for her wrath? That's not how Tonks saw it, and I was afraid to tell him. I couldn't let anyone get hurt on my behalf. What if Tonks decided seeing me was too dangerous after all? He had protested when I had asked him, but times changed. And what if I decided it was too dangerous? I could be putting Tonks at risk. I ran a hand through my hair wearily. Befriending Tonks was one of the best things that had happened to me, I couldn't just let it go. I sat staring into space for a long time, thinking.

Please review! The more you review, the faster I write!


	10. Chapter 9

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! You guys are my inspiration! I need your support to finish the story, so continue giving me your thoughts/suggestions! **

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The first extra Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson was in the afternoon on Friday. Sixth years wandered around the classroom in packs, chatting together excitedly. I nervously touched my robes where my wand lay concealed; some of the students were eyeing me venomously. Tonks stood on the other side of the room, but I was purposefully avoiding looking at him. Professor Beetleye entered, his wispy gray hair tangled and floating above him like a cloud. He scuffled excitedly to the front of the classroom, before turning back to the class.

"Patronuses!" He squeaked happily, clapping his hands together. "That's what we'll be learning today, boys and girls! Though I suppose you already knew that." He squinted his yellowing eyes in a expression of deep thought. After a few awkward moments, the students started scuffling uncomfortably. When Professor Beetleye shook his head suddenly, most students jumped back.

"So sorry, where was I?" Professor Beetleye mumbled. "Sorry, my wits were somewhat addled in the 1940's- or was it the 1840's...?"

"Patronuses?" A Ravenclaw girl chirped in helpfully.

"Exactly!" Beetleye cried enthusiastically. "Wands out, everyone!" There was a rush as students produced their wands eagerly.

"The incantation is 'Expecto Patronum'. All together now! Ecks-PEK-toh pa-TRO-num."

The class repeated him, and Professor Beetleye beamed. "Now, think of a happy memory to fuel the patronus. Combined with the incantation... Expecto Patronum!" A silver hare was produced out of Professor Beetleye's wand tip, and went flying around the classroom. Wisps of opaque mist were emitted from it. The whole classroom broke out into applause. Professor Beetleye blushed and bobbed his head proudly before swiftly canceling the spell. The silver hare dissolved, showering the classroom in brilliant white sparks.

"Any questions?" Professor Beetleye asked. "No? Wands out then!" His instructions weren't needed, however. Half of the class already had their wands out in eager preparation. I quickly brought my slender wand out of the folds of my cloak and gripped the handle anxiously. This was the moment that would unveil the truth, as patronuses never lied. Was I the same as Bellatrix? Sweat glistened on my forehead, which I hastily wiped away.

"Is everyone ready?" Beetleye called wheezily. "I'm going to countdown from three, and we'll all say the incantation together. Remember to enunciate, now! And don't forget your happy memory! Three-" My head was still spinning, trying to grasp everything Beetleye had said. Expecto Patronum? Expecto Patronum, Expecto Patronum- I whispered it feverishly under my breath. My wand was slippery in my vice-like grip.

"Two-" I forgotten to think of a memory. I wildly searched my mind. It had to be a really good one, to fuel a full corporeal patronus.

"One-" My buzzing mind landed on a single memory from my earlier years, one that shone bright in my mind.

"Expecto Patronum!" Everywhere around the classroom, students echoed the incantation. I closed my eyes.

I could smell the crisp, clean air that wafted through the London streets. The trees were bedecked in their autumn finery, rich oranges and sharp yellows greeting me. Shops lined the streets, large windows displaying various muggle merchandise. My mother's hand clutched mine as we hurried down the sidewalk. Excitement flooded my senses. Up ahead it towered before us, much larger than I could ever imagine. King's Cross Station stood beckoning me onward. A train whistle echoed from up ahead. I was leaving the Black manor, leaving my silent solitude. I was going to a school where things I had only read about in books were reality.

"Expecto Patronum." I whispered, opening my eyes and staring at my wand. A silvery mist escaped the tip and hovered before me. Shapes were forming from the mist, but they were indistinct at least. As I strained to piece together an animal form, it vanished. Around me, other students were reaching similar results. None had so far produced a corporeal patronus. Professor Beetleye wandered over to me, and nodded at me to try again. Feeling frustrated and slightly foolish, I tried the spell again to the same results.

"A very good effort." Professor Beetleye mumbled, his eyes still on the spot where my patronus had vanished. "But try a different memory. It seems that one wasn't good enough to summon a real patronus." My spirits plummeted. That had been one of the best moments in my life; if that hadn't produced a patronus, did I have a memory that would? Beetleye had shuffled back to the front of the class, leaving a trail of disgruntled looking students in his wake.

"Stop, stop!" Professor Beetleye yelled, and the fervent mutterings of the incantation trickled to a halt.

"Don't be discouraged." The Professor said, pocketing his own wand. "Many qualified wizards and witches have trouble producing a patronus. Try focusing more. Summon that happy memory... and then let it out. Again, shall we?" I tried picturing a different memory. Already around me, students were giving the spell another go. looked over the sea of students to where Tonks was. He didn't seem to be having much success either. The knuckles clutching his wand were white, and his face flushed in concentration. I focused back to the task at hand, and scanned my brain for the wanted memory.

All was cast in gloom in the small room, save for the light from flickering candle. A small girl, perhaps eight years old with ghostly blonde hair was crouched by the candlelight. Her knees were drawn protectively to her chest, and she was staring at her bare feet. I walked over, my footsteps creaking on the old floorboards.

"Cissy?" I ask uncertainly. The small girl looks up, her large babyish eyes shining with tears. Silently, she holds her tiny hand out to me, and I take it. Soon we are sitting together on the floor in the wavering light, my arm wrapped around her shoulders protectively. Narcissa cries quietly into my shoulder. Though I am the oldest by only a few months, I take it onto myself to be the leader, to help my little sister. After a few minutes, she looks up at me.

"I love you, Andromeda." She hiccups, and embraces me.

"Expecto Patronum!" I said, a little more force in my tone. Silver smoke rushed out of my wand, spiraling around my head, then up towards the ceiling. I watch its course until it explodes in a shower of sparks like Professor Beetleye's patronus had. This was an improvement, but it still wasn't a full patronus. I growled under my breath. I should have known that memory wouldn't work. Though it was a moment I'd never wish to forget I shared with my sister, it was tinged with bitterness. Nothing that had come from the Black estate would do. It had to be a memory from Hogwarts, my true home.

"Quiet down!" Professor Beetleye said from across the room. "We're running out of time, but let's give it one last go, shall we? Concentration is key, remember!" I wanted to cry out in aggrivation. It wasn't working. Maybe I couldn't summon a patronus, maybe it was beyond my abilities. Maybe my personality wasn't strong enough. I wanted to storm out of the classroom and hole up in my dormitory- hiding from what? Bellatrix? Myself? The world?

"Come on, Andromeda." I hissed at myself. I sighed, and closed my eyes for the third time. Instead of searching for a memory like I had the last two attempts, I let my mind wander. My attention flowed through an assortment of unorganized memories. I struggled to remember the past emotions- there was resentment and hopelessness, but also elation and...something else. I was thinking about my time with Tonks, our hours spent in secret together. If I didn't think about it too hard, I could sense an emotion there, something I couldn't recognize. I frowned in concentration, trying to hold onto it. I struggled to pinpoint the emotion, to understand. It burned inside, kindling excitement and a softer, sweeter feeling. I allowed my barriers to fall away, and I lost myself to that feeling. It coursed through my veins, pulsed alongside my heart- the muscles in my face relaxed. I could picture in perfect clarity Ted Tonks, with his bright eyes, shaggy hair and mischievous lopsided grin. I remembered when he had followed me into an empty corridor after Hermia's teasing, and the countless times I had confessed my fears to him. He had stood by me, and I knew he always would. My heart swelled with this nameless emotion.

"Expecto Patronum." I said simply, the words rolling off my tongue. My eyes fluttered open, and I watched, spellbound, as silvery wisps emerged from my wand. But the tendrils were no longer misty and weak, they spiraled through the air like molten silver. Then, it appeared. Out of a cloud of twinkling silver floated a swan. The sight of it took my breath away. The graceful curve of its long neck, the passive intelligence of its large black eyes was too much to take in. It glided above the student's heads as though gliding on a pond's still surface. The choruses of people trying to summon patronuses stopped, and heads turned upwards to stare in wonder. The patronus craned its elegant neck to stare at me. I could feel my connection with it, like part of my soul was attached to this angelic creature. As I watched, the patronus gradually became translucent until it vanished completely. A disappointed sigh ran through the entire class.

"Miss Black!" Professor Beetleye gasped, his eyes still on where the patronus had been. "Amazing! A corporeal patronus in the first class! Twenty points to Slytherin!" But I was already running out of the door, out into the corridor beyond. I had to know for absolute certain, I had to make sure- First year students heading out of Transfiguration scattered as I pelted through their midst, running with no shame at the bewildered faces following me. I ran past the Great Hall, then out of the castle. As I entered the Hogwarts grounds from between the two winged warthogs guarding the gates, I ran into a group of seventh years heading out of the greenhouses.

"Bellatrix!" I panted, looking around wildly for my dark sister.

"Andromeda." I turned around, and saw Bellatrix heading towards me, surrounded by her followers. Her eyes shone with cold disdain.

"You're making a spectacle," She said with distaste, peering at my flushed cheeks and the hair escaping my bun.

"Bellatrix," I panted. "What's your patronus?" She ignored me, and continued walking past me into the courtyard. I was not so easily deterred, however. I raced after her, stopping right in front of her and planting my feet resolutely.

"What's your patronus?" I repeated. Bellatrix looked shocked at my boldness. Her eyes narrowed.

"What's it to you?" She asked.

"Please, Bellatrix!" I said desperately. Bellatrix sniffed, pouting.

"I don't like being bossed around, Andromeda." She said, flicking her mass of curls over her shoulder snootily.

"You've bossed me around plenty, it's my turn." I said coldly. I had to know, and even Bellatrix Black wouldn't get in my way. "Answer the question." I demanded. Bellatrix seemed to be battling internally with herself. After a moment, she relented.

"My patronus is a snake." She answered, staring at me as though she never had seen me before. "Honestly Andromeda, I don't know what's gotten into you. Now, if you'll excuse us-" She pushed past me, and her followers obediently trailed after her. I was left alone in the courtyard. I was rooted to the spot, my shock running its course. Bellatrix's patronus wasn't a swan, which meant that we weren't alike. I wasn't her shadow. I was my own person. This confirmed it, I was really and truly-

Free.

I yelled joyously up into the blue sky above, my face breaking into a grin. All the shackles that had bound me were broken. I ran out into the grounds, laughing like a maniac. I ran down an embankment recklessly, only to lose my balance and tumble through the grass. I rolled to stop and got to my knees, my cloak billowing around me in the gentle breeze. I no longer cared what Bellatrix thought about me, or if I dishonored the House of Black. My patronus had shown me that I was free to my own personality, my own actions, my own _life_. I knelt in the grass, laughing until I cried with joy, tears falling freely. When the torrent trickled to a stop, I laid back down on the ground, wiping my face and laughing quietly at my own foolishness. The sunlight warmed my face, causing me at last to lapse into peaceful silence. In that single moment, I felt as though I could cast a thousand patronuses.


	11. Chapter 10

**I dedicate this chapter to Thalanthus, who has helped me greatly in editing my writing. I'd like to also thank PotterNerd94, for continuing to read and review my story.**

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I was lounging under a beech tree when Tonks jogged up, panting slightly.

"There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you." He said, stopping in front of me, his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Why did you run out of class like that?" He peered at my face anxiously. "Have you been crying? What's wrong?" I looked up at him, my eyes sparkled with barely contained joy.

"Nothing's wrong." I gasped, the words bubbling out of me. "Wrong? Ted, everything is finally right!" I put my hands over my mouth to hide the enormous grin I wore. Tonks relaxed, and dropped to the ground beside me.

"What's gotten you in such a good mood? Come on, spill the beans." He nudged me playfully, his eyes glowing. Happily I told him about the patronuses.

"You were surprised that your Patronus wasn't the same as Bellatrix's?" Tonks asked, amused. "I could have told you that much." I shook my head vigorously.

"No, you don't understand-" I stopped. Of course he didn't understand. How could he? He was pure of the dark ideas that had clouded my mind for so long. I shrugged, knowing that he could never fully understand my explanation. Somehow this didn't make me feel distant from him, but closer than ever before. I sighed contentedly and leaned on him, my head resting on his shoulder.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being the only person who believed in me." Tonks chuckled.

"You only needed someone to remind you to believe in yourself." I pondered on this. Had that been the root of my problem the whole time?

"I've never seen you this happy before." Tonks whispered, the sun warming our faces. We sat in silence, glad for each other's company. The rippling waves sparkled bright blue in the reflecting sunlight. Far on the opposite shore, the treetops display a dazzling array of autumn colours. The steady lapping of waves was hypnotic. It glistened, rolled, and hummed silently the siren song of its own natural beauty. It was a beautiful, innocent day, far from shadows or darkness. I wished that every day could be like this.

"I've always wondered about the lake." I told Tonks absentmindedly. "Our common room is under the lake, you know."

"Um-hum." Tonks said lazily, leaning against the trunk of the tree.

"I used to read curled up on the window sill, so that my the pages of my book would look green in the light. I loved the lake. It's depths, its secrets... all of it is so alluring, so peaceful." I closed my eyes and inhaled the clean, sharp air.

"You're very poetic." Tonks commented, his eyes closed, a lopsided smile coming to his face. With a sudden reckless urge, I stood up, my eyes out on the lake. Tonks opened one eye to study me.

"What are you doing?" I ignored him, the gears in my head whirling. Tonks opened his other eye and sat up, looking drowsy.

"Andromeda?"

"I'm going explore the lake." I said, an idea forming in my mind.

"I'm sorry?" Tonks grinned at me, unsure if I was joking or not. I looked back at him, my excitement mounting.

"Don't try to talk me out of it." I said quickly. "It's stupid, I know. And reckless. But I don't care. I don't even know if we're allowed in the lake. But... I've always done what other people wanted. I just want to do this one thing I want. I know I'm being selfish, but-" I trailed off, looking into Tonks's face. Tonks watched me with growing amazement.

"Andromeda Black wants to do something reckless, selfish and potentially stupid?" He stood up, a wicked grin breaking his face.

"I guess I'll have to show you how it's done. Trust me, I've had plenty of experience."

"You'll come with me?"

"And risk missing this? Never!" I shoved him in the shoulder good-naturedly, and took off toward the lake. Tonks loped after me, laughing.

At the shore, I was already untying my shoes. Tonks slowed to a stop next to me, and started loosening his tie.

"So, what exacting are you planning?" he asked curiously. I undid my bun, allowing my long curly hair to drape down.

"I don't know." I admitted, and dumping my heavy black cloak on the sandy bank, and ran towards the water.

"Hey, wait up!" Tonks called after me, hopping around and struggling to take off his socks. I waited patiently, the water lapping up to my toes and retracting with a squelch. Little shells lined the shore, though not all of them seemed quite normal. I was pretty sure that hermit crabs did not have shells with designs that intricate. Then again, you could hardly expect anything normal from a lake next to a magical school. I suddenly was shoved into the deeper water, only regaining my balance before I fell face first into the water. From here, the water came up to my calves. I looked up to find Tonks snickering. He must have snuck behind me and tried to push me in.

"That's not fair!" I complained. "The water's cold." Tonks smirked back at me.

"Two can play that game." I said slyly, before splashing the icy water into his face. That wiped the smirk off his face, as he stood sputtering on the bank, the cold water leaving him speechless. After the shock passed over him, he looked at me ruefully. I smirked at him, quite proud of myself.

"It's not nice to splash people." Tonks said in a mock scold. I splashed him again, making sure his clothes were completely soaked. Tonks tried in vain to run out of range, but he tripped over his own cloak and tumbled down. When he struggled up, his cloak clinging to his frame, his entire front was covered in sand. I laughed at the sight, he looked so ridiculous. Tonks eyed me with new caution as he removed his cloak.

"Feeling rebellious, are we? Turning traitor on your poor friend? Tut-tut. I would have thought better of you." He got to his feet, and waggled his finger accusingly at me. "Do you know what we do to traitors, Andromeda?"

"What?" I asked, deciding to play his little game. Tonks shook his head sadly.

"We teach them a lesson."

"You'll have to catch me first!" I taunted. Tonks leaped into the water, running at me at full speed. I turned and ran deeper into the water, excitement filling me from the chase. I hadn't gotten up to my knees in the frigid water when Tonks caught me; he grabbed me from behind and hefted me onto his left shoulder in a fireman's lift.

"Let go!" I cried through my laughter. Tonks waded deeper into the water, holding me firmly.

"Not a chance!" He shouted to me, his face devilish.

"Let me go!"

"What would be the fun in that?"

"Let go!"

"As you wish!" And he threw me into the water. I resurfaced an instant later, my hair clinging to my face. I wiped my eyes and blinked the drops of water out of my eyelashes. The water came to my shoulders here. Tonks stood a few feet away.

"Why you little-" I started, but Tonks dived head first into the water, then came back up.

"Ha!" He shook his head, water flinging from his hair. "I'm already wet now, so you splashing me won't do any good!"

"That's kind of like giving a bandit your money before he takes it." I pointed out. "You have a hole in your logic." Tonks ignored my comment and swam over to me.

"Merlin's beard, it's freezing." He said, brushing hair from his eyes. "You must be insane to have thought this was a good idea."

"You followed me." I pointed out.

"True. I must have had a temporary brain malfunction."

"Temporary?"

"Oh, ha ha."

"Here, I have an idea." I said, looking at the endless clear water before us.

"Another idea? Oh goody." Tonks said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I fished out my wand and brought it above the water.

"Bulcaputium!" I said, pointing my wand at my face. The bubble head charm took effect immediately, a transparent flowing substance forming around my mouth and nose. When I took another breath, the air was clean and pure, pressing eagerly into my lungs as though I had inhaled deeply. Without a second thought, I plunged into the freezing waters of the Black Lake. The icy water embraced me, small bubbles zipping upwards. My hair wafted around me, tendrils floating through the water. I spread my arms out and swam deeper, freedom and excitement coursing through me. I spun through the water without effort, it felt so natural. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of the strong current driving me deeper into the lake's depths. I heard a faint splash and turned; Tonks, his mouth and nose covered by their own bubble, was paddling clumsily toward me. The bubble covering his mouth distorted and magnified his grin, his eyes searching the waters. He waved at me, and pointed questioningly in the direction I had been heading. I nodded, and with a single motion propelled myself smoothly downwards. The darkness greeted me, forests of kelp swinging tantalizingly, beckoning me to explore. Overhead the lights rippled and twinkled, the lowering sun flashing down at me. Tonks was nearing, his lanky arms scooping in vain at the water as he tried to move forward. In spite of myself I laughed, the sound vibrating to fill the entire lake, like the chatter of a dolphin. I swam over to Tonks and took his forearm, trying to show him the correct way to manipulate the water. He imitated my motions as best he could, and soon he was darting through the kelp like an eel. We circled each other, performing acrobatics that would have been impossible on land. A shadow passed over us from a distance- the giant squid. It stared at us with its huge eyes, then continued on its way peacefully. Taking Tonks's hand in mine, together we swam down further. Briefly I wondered what class would be going on, and if the school had yet noticed two students were missing. It was wrong to skive off classes, but if I missed one, it wouldn't tarnish my pristine record. And the lake was so beautiful-

A wave of motion rippled through the water, and I looked over just in time to see a Grindylow darted through the water, coming toward us. I tried to warn Tonks, bubble muffled my voice, and my warning went unnoticed. A second later, the Grindylow slammed into Tonks's back, and they both went sailing into the darkness of the kelp forest below. I was still holding my wand from casting the Bubble Head charm, and I flicked it through the water, panic gripping me. If something happened to Tonks down here, at the bottom of the lake...

"Lumos," I muttered, though it was strange as I could not hear my own words. Nevertheless the spell worked, and my wand tip glowed with golden light. I shot through the water in the direction Tonks and the Grindylow had disappeared in, my heart racing.

Even with my wand light, it was still dark down in the kelp forest. The kelp towered around me, brushing up against my skin. It kept ensnaring me, making the going slower as I had to untangle myself every few feet from its slimy grasp. Excitement gripped me, though I knew I should be worried. But it all felt so unreal, so otherworldly. I found that I couldn't be afraid in this place. It would be like being afraid of a dream. I could feel that Tonks and the Grindylow were near, the water pulsed with their motion. I renewed my actions, vigorously trying to head toward them. After a few feet, I could make out their silhouettes. It looked like Tonks was trying to get to his wand, which was in his pants pocket, but the Grindylow kept his occupied, wrapping its long fingers around Tonks's neck. Tonks saw me coming, and wrestled with the Grindylow still more violently. I cancelled the wand light, and held my wand up trembling. If I could only get a clear shot of the Grindylow, but Tonks was in the way. I waved at Tonks, trying to signal his to move out of the way. Unfortunately, Tonks was keeping his attention entirely on the Grindylow, which was now encircling Tonks with its serpentine tail. Without a moment's hesitation, I launched myself into the fray. I grabbed the Grindylow's scaly arm, hoping to get near the Grindylow's one weakness, its fragile fingers. The Grindylow was unhappy when it suddenly found itself being tackled by another human. It turned its doglike face toward me, a serpent tongue flashing between its canine teeth. It snapped at me, missing my flesh by mere centimeters. Tonks managed to get one arm free, and punched the Grindylow on the side of the head. The Grindylow's gills flared and its eyes bulged from Tonks's blow, but it still did not relinquish its hold on Tonks's neck. Tonks thrashed, desperately trying to free himself. The Grindylow seemed tired of its prey's attempts to flee; it bared its teeth, reeling Tonks in closer to cause the fatal bite. One snap of those jaws- I couldn't think about that. I launched myself between the Grindylow and Tonks, placing my feet on the Grindylow's chest and my back against Tonks, and pushed. The Grindylow's chest was squishy like the underbelly of a fish, and my feet left impressions its skin. The Grindylow snarled at me, but held on to Tonks with amazing strength. Using Tonks as leverage, I continued pushing, trying to separate the two. Slowly the Grindylow's tail unwound around Tonks, slowly but surely. Tonks took the the Grindylow's hand and pried it, one spindly finger at a time, away from his neck. The Grindylow howled, but the only evidence was the bubbles issuing from its mouth. Finally it let go, and the force I had used to separate the two sent both Tonks and I cartwheeling backwards. When we stopped tumbling through the water, I frantically searched for a sign of the Grindylow. It seemed to have disappeared. Wait- there was movement. I looked behind was swimming toward me,his eyes wide with fear. Out of the kelp forest emerged dozens of Grindylows, all of which were staring at the two of us. They swam out of the dark, their numbers steadily increasing. I looked around wildly; they were surrounding us. They were coming closer, serpent tails slashing through the water like whips. I held my wand out, scanning my brain for a spell that could repel all of them, but there were just too many. Fear fluttered in my stomach. Tonks had reached me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. Silently, the Grindylows charged, darting out at us with impossible speed. I clung to Tonks, burying my face in his shirt. I didn't want to see what would happen next, when the Grindylows attacked. I squeezed my eyes shut, my muscles tensing-

With a sudden burst, we were shooting through the water upwards. My ears popped, and I couldn't open my eyes by the sheer force of the water rushing by. The bubble from my Bubble Head charm had popped, I couldn't breathe- with a terrific splurching sound, we surfaced. I gasped for breath, trying to keep my head above the water.

"Andromeda!" Tonks sputtered. He wiped my hair out of my face, looking anxious.

"You- okay?" He panted, looking down at me.

"Yeah. You?" I asked, coughing.

"I'm fine. By Merlin, you scared me though! Attacking that Grindylow like that!" He hugged me, clutching me like he would never let go. My lungs burned and chest ached, but at least Tonks was here. We both broke at the same time, blushing. As the lake's surface bobbed however, Tonks grabbed my hand to prevent me from being carried away.

"What happened?" I asked, my adrenaline draining away.

"I used the ascendio spell." Tonks answered. "It propelled us through the water." I reddened from embarrassment. "I should have thought of that." I mumbled. "I'm sorry Tonks, I panicked down there-"

"Sorry?" Tonks echoed incredulously. "Andromeda, give yourself some credit! You were able to get that Grindylow off me!"

"But when they surrounded us-" I shuddered, unable to finish my sentence. Tonks squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Well, that was an adventure." He said cheerfully after a moment. "Seems you and I make a good team, Black." The way he said it, like it had been no big deal, caused me to laugh. Soon we were both laughing hysterically, helpless to stop.

"You're insane, Andromeda!" Tonks snickered. He looked up, unable to help another wave of laughter. "Absolutely raving mad!" He cackled delightfully.

It was approaching dusk by the time we made it back to shore near the beech tree. Tonks helped me to my feet. We were both soaked to the bone from being in the water for so long. My feet were unsteady, and I felt as if I were still swaying with the water. Tonks stumbled onto the bank and shook like a dog. I wrung my hair out the best I could, but the untame mane clung stubbornly onto the my frame.

"Well, that was fun." Tonks joked, leading me to the spot where we had left our cloaks and shoes. I snorted in response, taking my cloak and wrapping it around me. The sun was going down, and it was getting colder. Even with the heavy cloak covering me, my teeth chattered. Together we walked to the beech tree.

"How long have we been gone?" I wondered out loud, looking toward the setting sun.

"Hours." Tonks said as I sat down, leaning against the tree's trunk. "The whole school's probably been turned upside down looking for us." Tonks glanced down at me.

"Here, take my cloak too." He offered, taking it off and holding it out to me. "You look like you're freezing to death."

"No, I don't need it." I insisted, though it was a weak excuse. I was trembling like a leaf against the frigid air. Tonks raised an eyebrow, looking at me with some amusement.

"Who are you trying to fool?" He chuckled. "Just take the cloak, Andromeda."

"But what about you?" I asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Here." He draped the cloak over my shoulders gently.

"Thanks." I said gratefully, pulling it tighter around me.

"We should get back to the castle." Tonks sighed, kneeling down next to me. "It would be a fine thing to rescue you from bloodthirsty Grindylows only to have you catch your death of cold." I laughed, and Tonks smiled kindly.

"Shall we?" He asked, extending his hand out to me.

"I don't want to return just yet." I said, blushing. "Not yet." Tonks didn't protest, but instead settled next to me at the base of the beech tree. We were both strangely silent, staring up at leaves rustling above us. Darkness was falling, and sun cast long shadows on the trees in the Forbidden Forest. In the east, stars were just beginning to emerge.

"I'm sorry I talked you into this mess." I said, not looking at Tonks..

"Don't be sorry. I wouldn't have traded it for the world." He spoke with sincerity.

"The entire world?" I asked, amused. "I almost got us both killed. Are you thinking of the same scene I'm thinking of?" Tonks shrugged.

"So, we almost got killed. But I got to see you be happy. You've always been so withdrawn, as if scared to enjoy yourself for once. But there was a moment back there when you let yourself go. You seem more alive now. You're allowing yourself to enjoy life. You were free and spirited and beautiful-" Tonks stopped, his cheeks reddening. "Sorry that I'm rambling." He muttered.

"No," I said, the corner of my mouth tugging upward. I put my hand on his. "I don't mind." Tonks jumped at my touch, as if he had been shocked. He stared at our hands, as if he couldn't quite believe they were there. He looked up at me, and my heart quickened. He was leaning toward me cautiously, his eyes boring into mine. I couldn't move, he was coming closer... his breath was tickling my cheek, his eyes were partly closed... he hesitated, his face right in front of mine, close enough for me to count every freckle on his nose. I could tell by the way the muscles at the corner of his eye twitched and his eyebrows drew together that he was battling internally with himself. Before Tonks could draw away, before he could apologize, I kissed him. Suddenly, it all fit into place. The feeling that I had felt when I had cast my patronus came back to me, but I knew what it was now. And Tonks, after the initial surprise at finding my lips on his, was kissing me back fervently. All the world disappeared, it was just the two of us. His hands clasped mine. I felt as warm as though I had drunk a steaming Butterbeer, the wet and cold I no longer felt. We broke apart slowly, gently. Tonks opened his eyes as though a sleeper waking up from a dream. His eyes showed every emotion he was feeling. They reflected my own: the giddiness, the bashfulness, the affection. The affection in his eyes shone brightest of all, as pure as new fallen snow. I felt so light I could float in the air. My lips tingled where his had touched, as if charged with electricity. Tonks took a strand of my wet hair and tucked it behind my ear, his eyes never leaving my face.

"Andromeda-" Tonks whispered, looking as though he had been hit over the head with a bludger. He seemed at a loss for words.

Behind me there was noise in the undergrowth. Both Tonks and I turned in the direction the noise had come from. A figure was running up to the school, a trail of long blonde hair flowing behind her- I stood up quickly.

"Narcissa!" I yelled. The figure stopped, and turned to face me.

"What are you doing with him, Andromeda?" Narcissa called, anger entering her voice.

"Cissy, you have to listen-"

"No, I don't! I was terrified when I realized you were missing. I searched for you for hours, and it turns out you were hiding here, kissing him? Did you even think about me? Did you care?" A lump was forming in my throat. My eyes brimmed with tears.

"So this is why you've been ignoring me lately. You've been slinking around the school with a half blood!" Narcissa continued, pointing angrily at Tonks.

"You don't understand, just listen-" I begged, but Narcissa just shook her head.

"What are you going to do, Andromeda? Mother would never approve of his filthy kind. Are you going to turn on your family? Run off with him and leave me alone with Bella?"

"No, please-" I sobbed. Her barrage of words had broken my defenses, each word now like a stake being driven into my heart.

"Narcissa, we can explain everything." Tonks said, putting his arm protectively around my shoulder.

"Don't you dare talk to me!" Narcissa cried shrilly. "You've taken my sister away from me! You're not worthy of her, you filth! You've gone and turned her against the House of Black! I hate you!"

"It's not his fault, Cissy." I quivered. Narcissa looked as if she had been slapped.

"You've made this choice, then? You're going to choose him, a filthy half blood, over me? You can't have both of us, and you were snogging- oh, Merlin-" Narcissa's face was twisted with betrayal and confusion. To see such a gaze aimed at me from my little sister made my heart clench painfully.

"I thought I meant more to you than that." She mourned. Tears glistened on her cheeks, and she ran blindly toward the castle.

"Cissy!" I called, panic rising. "You don't understand! Come back!" But Narcissa had already disappeared through the castle gates. I sank to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Andromeda!" Tonks gasped, kneeling next me. I couldn't bring myself to look at him. Narcissa's face- I shook as sobs racked my body. Tonks rubbed my back consolingly. Tears flowed fast, and my mind was a haze of panic. My breathing turn ragged, and my heart felt like it was going to burst-

"I'm so sorry, Andromeda." Tonks breathed. He sounded shaken, scared even. "I brought this on you, I'm an idiot-"

"I have to go after her!" I cried hysterically. "I can't loose her!" I struggled to my feet.

"You can't go after her by yourself! Let me go with you, I can help explain." Tonks said, grabbing my arm before I could leave.

"No! I have talk to her alone." I said, pulling away from him. "She'll listen to me." I started running for the castle, but Tonks blocked my way.

"This is my fault, I'll help-"

"Move!"

"But-"

"Please, Ted!" I wept, all the desperation and turmoil coming out in my voice. Tonks looked uneasy. He looked down at me, his tawny hair glowing in the dying sun.

"All right. But be careful, Andromeda!." He said worriedly, stepping aside. Without another word, I took off after Narcissa.


	12. Chapter 11

I ran through Hogwarts, ignoring the incredulous cries of students coming out of the Great Hall from dinner. I must have been a sight, waterlogged and dripping as I was, not to mention wearing two cloaks. I ran past the crowd without stopping, however. The image of my sister staring at me with betrayal evident in her eyes a dry sob escaped my lips. I couldn't let her leave me. I would have to explain everything. It would be hard for Narcissa, though. It would take time for her to understand that the Black family's beliefs were wrong. But could she believe me if I told her that? Even as a Black outcast, it had taken me years to finally understand that it didn't matter if you had pure blood or not. But Narcissa didn't have years like I had to grasp the concept- a concept she had been told all her life was wrong.

_Her blood runs Black, _I thought unwillingly. _She been taught that loyalty to your family is above all else. Your treachery to Torjurus Pur she will never approve of. Her blood runs Black. _

"Shut up." I muttered to myself. My feet barely touched the floor as I sprinted down to the dungeons. As I neared the Slytherin common room, my thoughts and fears dissolved. Worry for my little sister pulsed through me, clouding my mind to all else. Narcissa needed me. Everything else didn't matter.

"Parseltongue!" I panted, and the Slytherin common room entrance slid open at the password. I ran down the winding passageway, the green torches on the walls casting long shadows.

"Narcissa!" I called ahead, praying my little sister could hear me. I knew how it felt to think that you were alone, and I didn't want my sister to experience the same feeling. I had to make sure that she knew I would always be there for her, no exceptions. As I approached the common room, I slowed my pace, breathing heavily. Something in the back of my mind pricked my consciousness. The hairs on my arm stood up, and a shiver ran through my spine. Something wasn't right. There was nothing I could see that should set my whole body warning me like this. It must have been a sixth sense, instinct, screaming at me to leave, to forget Narcissa and run back to the sun and warmth and Tonks. But despite the warnings, I knew I had no choice. Narcissa had always been there for me, and I would always be there for her. I descended farther, but with more caution. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Sweat glistened on my forehead.

From behind me, strong arms grabbed me. I yelped in fright, whipping around, my heart pounding. In the dim green light, I could make out Rodolphus Lestrange's grin glinting down at me. Before I could react, whether to run or scream for help, he wrapped his arms around me, pinning my arms to my sides. I screamed at him, fighting to free myself. Lestrange reeled me in closer, quickly putting me into a choke hold. I tried in vain to pull his arm away from my neck, but his burly arms were like steel. He was taller than me, and my feet barely touched the floor. It was all I could do to cling to his arm, trying not to choke. I kicked out, writhing like a snake, my foot colliding with Lestrange's knee. Lestrange grunted in pain, but did not relinquish his hold on me. I closed my eyes in pain as Lestrange tightened his grip, cutting off my breathing.

"A bit fidgety, aren't we?" Lestrange breathed, his mouth next to my ear. I could feel his eyes boring into me, cold and unmerciful, as I gasped for breath. My mind was clouding from want of oxygen.

"Rodolphus...please..." I choked, my lungs on fire. Lestrange only chuckled, and awful hissing sound, his foul breath tickling my cheek. He wouldn't let go, he was going to strangle me- panic was paramount, my brain shrieking in desperation. With exceptional effort, I kicked again. This time, my foot found Lestrange's groin. With a squeal of pain similar to a pig's, Lestrange doubled up, momentarily loosening his grip on me. Ripping his arm away, I ran, trying to ignore the black spots that swam before my eyes.

"Don't just stand there!" Lestrange barked. "Nott, Mulciber, Avery- get her!" Sounds of pursuit came from behind me, and I knew I didn't have much time left before they caught up with me. I was blinded and lightheaded, and the seventh year boys would surely reach me before I found help. I stopped; frantically throwing off the cloak Tonks had given me, and searching the pocket of my cloak. If only I had my wand, I knew that I could fend for myself, even though I was outnumbered. As I searched the pockets however, growing more anxious by the second, I was finally forced to realize that I did not have my wand. I must have left it with Tonks under the beech tree. I silently cursed my own foolishness. I hadn't been thinking properly, and now I was about to pay the price. A second later I was pushed from behind, surprising me. I was already unbalanced on my feet, and the push sent me falling to my knees. I spun around to face the three boys standing over me.

"Stop!" I sat taller, glaring at them. "I am a member of the House of Black, how dare you treat me like this. If my family knew-"

"Your family does know, you snake." Avery spat. Before I could ask what he meant, they pounced, pulling me to my feet and pinning my arms behind my back. The sudden movement caused the world to spin, but I managed not to vomit.

"Let go!" I screamed, but the hands only tightened their grip. A rough hand seized my face, and forced a piece of coarse fabric into my mouth.

"You've got her then?" Came Lestrange's voice from down the passageway, somewhat apprehensive. "Make sure that creature is properly subdued." He came into sight, walking stiffly. He had his wand out, and with a quick flick of his wand, ropes appeared and bound my hands behind my back. I struggled, but I knew that nothing would come of it. Lestrange came to stand in front of me, staring into my eyes with pure hatred.

"Would you like us to carry her?" Came a low voice behind me, which I recognized as Mulciber's.

"No." Lestrange hissed, leaning toward me, leering. "She'll walk." His face was inches away from mine. "Or else..." He fingered his wand, sending a clear message. His grin faded abruptly, and his talon like fingers closed around my shoulder. "Get going." He spat venomously, pushing me in front of him. My shoulder ached were his fingers had pressed into my skin. "Walk. Now." Lestrange ordered. And led at wand point, I went descended down the passageway, towards the Slytherin common room.

* * *

Lestrange pushed me onto the emerald carpet in front of the fireplace. I crumbled to the floor, reflexively trying to put my arms in front of me to stop my fall. But as my arms were tied behind my back, I fell onto my face instead.

"Ungag her." A silky voice said, and my eyes widened. I knew that voice better than my own. Lestrange came over, taking the gag out of my mouth and flinging it away, looking revolted.

"Sit her up. I want to see her face." Lestrange picked me up with no trouble, and set me back on the floor, sitting up with my back to the fire. I kept my eyes lowered, afraid to look up. I knew what I was going to see, but I didn't want to believe it.

"Look at me, Andromeda." But I couldn't. Bile rose in my throat, and I shook my head fervently. An incantation was muttered, and against my will I found my eyes peeling away from my lap to meet eyes that looked so much like my own.

"That's right." Bellatrix purred, lying on the sofa with her gaze fixed intently on me. "Afraid to meet my gaze, blood traitor?" Her voice was eerily calm, but that didn't give me any reassurance. I knew Bellatrix well enough to know that her calmness usually masked a tormented sea of anger. No, her yelling at me would have been much better than this veiled demeanor. All I could do was stare into her eyes, like a cat playing with its prey before it eats it.

"Narcissa has already told me about your betrayal. Never would I have suspected quiet Andromeda to be the deceiver in our midst. Much has changed." With a slash from Bellatrix's wand, I was free to move again. My sigh of relief, however, was cut short when I saw the person standing behind Bellatrix's sofa.

Narcissa.

She was watching me, pity in her eyes. While other Slytherins looked on at me, eyes as hard as flint, Narcissa looked on, a chink in their armor. But then a boy approached Narcissa, resting his hands on her shoulders possessively. I recognized the boy: he was one of the seventh years always tailing Bellatrix. His long blonde hair reached passed his shoulders, his features chiseled and noble. Narcissa looked up at him, and with shock I saw affection light up her eyes. All year I had noticed there was something strange about Narcissa, that she seemed distracted and was always disappearing. Well, now it seemed I knew the reason. This boy seemed to have stolen her heart. He was looking down at Narcissa with a smug look, and Narcissa positively glowed. When she turned back to me however, the elation died. All pity wiped out of her expression as she held onto the blonde boy's hand, her stare as hard as flint like the others.

I had lost my sister.

She was too enchanted with this boy to risk losing his affection to protect me. I had been there for her, but she was not for me. I would have given up everything to protect my little sister, but she had abandoned me the moment I needed her most. I blinked up at Narcissa, hoping against hope that I was wrong. She did care, she would stop them-

"Cissy?" I wondered, my voice quiet. The Slytherins were all watching me, but I only had eyes for my beautiful sister, the joy of my life-

Narcissa turned away from me, into the embrace of the boy.

It was worse than any physical pain. As the realization my sister had truly abandoned me crashed on me, I felt like my very soul was being ripped away. All I could do was stare at Narcissa's back in shock.

"You thought she would defend you?" Bellatrix guessed, her mad eyes penetrating my stupor. Bellatrix cackled delightfully, laying sprawled on the couch, her mass of curls fanning out. She continued her crazed laugh.

"Blood is thicker than anything, Andromeda. It's about time you learned that." Bellatrix sat up, enjoying the sight of my broken form.

"What did you think Cissy would do? Protect you? She's smarter than that. Cissy can tell a lost cause when she sees it."

"But-" I wasn't sure what I was going to say. But what? Bellatrix was right.

"But she loves you? Is that what you were going to say?" Bellatrix's shoulders trembled with suppressed mirth. "Love can only do so much. Remember: Honor and family above all else." I flinched at her words.

"You squirm in my presence, Andromeda. Why is that?" Bellatrix grinned wolfishly.

"You are uncomfortable, yes? Can you sense it too? Are you frightened of it? Be not so. It's what separates us from the low-born filth you mingle with." I did not understand what Bellatrix was saying, but my spine tingled in answer to her words. My instincts told me to flee under her terrible gaze, from the numbing feeling threatening to topple me.

"You're...mad." I gasped, amazed by my own courage.

"No, you're mad!" Bellatrix shrieked, getting to her feet. Her pale skin looked ghostly in the green light. "You understand what I speak of: power. Power is what separates the mighty with the weak, the Blacks from the rest of the world. And yet you resist. You're the mad one!" She closed her eyes, as if trying to calm down.

"Unbind her." Bellatrix mumbled her eyes still closed. Lestrange looked uneasy.

"But-"

"DO IT!" Lestrange hurried over to me. I edged away from him, but he grabbed my hands behind my back.

"Diffindo." He said, and the ropes fell the floor as the spell cut through them. I raised my fist, intending to attack Lestrange, but he caught my wrist with ease.

"You may want to rethink that." Lestrange warned. Around the room, several wands were pointed at me, awaiting Bellatrix's signal. He squeezed my wrist to emphasize his point, and I cringed, pain shooting through my arm.

"That's enough." Bellatrix ordered. "Andromeda, stand."

"No." I retorted. I was tired of being frightened, of being bullied. I was free from Bellatrix, and I would rather die than go back to being her shadow again. "I'm done obeying you." I spat up at her, rubbing my wrist. Bellatrix nodded to Lestrange, and Lestrange wrapped his arms around my waist, forcing me to my feet. The Slytherins roared with laughter. Humiliation washed over me as I realized I was powerless. Lestrange's laughter causing my blood to boil.

"Shall we punish little Andy here for her impudence?" Lestrange suggested, sticking his wand into my neck. I stiffened, my heart hammering. Cheers came from the Slytherins. Lestrange looked down at me and grinned, which made me sick to my stomach. Narcissa looked on, her angelic face unreadable. The common room echoed with laughter at my suffering.

"Give her your wand." Bellatrix said calmly, and the laughter died.

"My...wand?" Lestrange asked, his mouth gaping open.

"If she wants to resist, let her." Bellatrix said, her voice dripping with poison. "And let her pay the consequences. Quickly, Rodolphus. We haven't got all night." Lestrange looked as if he was about to argue, but quickly thought better of it. He let go of me, stepping back in disgust. With pained moments, he handed me his wand, his eyes telling me if anything happened to it, Bellatrix would be the least of my problems. As I took it, the wand hummed violently in my hand. Clearly, it loathed being away from its true master.

"You have changed, Andromeda." Bellatrix said, her face becoming expressionless. "You are more independent of me. My hold on you has become- precarious. You fear me now, though you used to revere me. Why so cold to me?" Bellatrix's eyes glinted with a power I did not want to know of. I felt as if she was picking through my soul, searching.

"There's something in you." I said, my voice wavering. I clutched Lestrange's wand in my hand. "You're different than how you used to be-"

Bellatrix threw her head back and laughed. "Is the great know-it-all Andromeda frightened? Do I scare you?" Bellatrix asked, her eyes filled with a malevolent light.

"I should scare you, sister. If you only knew what I was capable of now, you would grovel on the floor in raw fear." Her expression turned stony.

"Where does your loyalty lie?" She snarled. "To the House of Black or with muggle half-breeds?"

"I-" I stared up at Narcissa, my heart breaking. I couldn't have her and Tonks. I would have to choose.

"_ANSWER ME!"_ Bellatrix shouted shrilly, standing inches away from me. My heart pounded against my ribcage. "Well? Make your choice. Honor or dishonor? Your family or the half-blood? Is it power or love?"

"You're asking the wrong question." I said quickly, trying to buy time before the inevitable confrontation. I took a step closer to Bellatrix, so we were face to face. She seemed taken aback at such a bold move.

"The question isn't power against love." I said, my fear melting away. "Love _is _power."

I raised the wand in the air.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Silvery light erupted out of the tip of the wand. A Patronus swirled into the air, but not the swan I was expecting to see. It was a sea lion, glowing with such intense light that the image burned on the inside of my eyelids. It glided through the air, tendrils of silver arching around it, and circled around me, filling me with hope. Bellatrix stared at it, and a chink appeared in her stony armor. Was it fear? The Patronus turned to look at me, its opaque orbs peering into my face. Seeing it comforted me, its intelligent eyes glittering with the light of stars. Slowly it faded, bringing the scent of a fresh summer breeze into the dark dungeons. At last, it was gone. Bellatrix turned to me, her eyes dark with madness.

"Diffindo!" Bellatrix screeched. A sharp pain slashed across my cheek. I gasped in shock and staggered away, my wandless hand unconsciously covering my face. I pulled my hand back to see it stained with blood.

"Bella!" I echoed, stunned.

"You think a Patronus is going to stop me, Andromeda?" Bellatrix cackled insanely. "You think that you can disobey me and roam free? There is no hope for you in the House of Black. As the eldest, I disown you!"

"Disown? Disown?!" I asked, anger at Bellatrix's attack boiling over. "It is not for you to disown me. I turn my back on the House of Black. Your darkness and hatred and stupid pride- take it! I don't want it anymore! I've found something better, something you will never understand, Bellatrix!"

"Is it love again, Andromeda?" Bellatrix snarled. "That half muggle whose managed to ensnare you-"

"Don't you dare talk about Tonks like that!" I snapped. We were circling each other, like two wolves on the brink of attack. "It's not just him. I've had to teach myself to choose between what is right and what is wrong. Me. Andromeda. No one can make that decision for me. Remember that, Cissy." I said, though I didn't dare turn my attention away from Bellatrix to face Narcissa. "You can let others make decisions for you and follow along, but one day you will regret it. I just hope the moment it becomes too much, when the price that is demanded of you is too high, you will let your heart tell you what to do."

"Enough riddles!" Bellatrix cried, raising her wand above her head. "Time to pay the consequences of your actions, Andromeda. Crucio!"

"Protego!" My shield charm deflected Bellatrix's attack. Our duel had begun.

"Crucio!"

"Alarte Ascendare!"

"Crucio!"

"Bombarda!"

"Crucio!"

"Lacarum Inflamarae!"

We fought with all our might against each other; sister against sister. Bellatrix was quick, her hair flying as she darted around, her madness no longer hidden. She was a phantom of fire, hungry to cause suffering. I, on the other hand, was graceful, carefully slashing out in defense. My confidence shown; I hadn't immersed myself in study all these years down nothing. I drew different complex incantations out of thin air, the wand weaving patterns that I could only understand. And so we were locked together in a deadly dance, neither one of us able to take the advantage of the other. The Slytherins looked on, at first shouting encouragement to Bellatrix, but their cheers had died as we continued dueling. Finally, I could feel the tide turn; I was advancing, slowly but surely. Bellatrix was now forced to cast more defensive spells, which wasn't her specialty. I could feel the unease in the room through the chasm of silence. Bellatrix's face was flushed, perspiration dripping on her face. Her crazed absolute confidence was waning somewhat, though her attacks were no less fierce.

"Expelliarmus!" A deep voice uttered from behind me. The wand I had been using went spinning out of hand. I tried to catch it desperately, but it was no use. I spun around to see Lestrange catch it instead.

"You…cheated." I gasped, staring at him in horror. "You're…you're not allowed to interfere!"

"Sorry dear." He said, giving me a wink. He handed a Slytherin back their wand, then pointedly pocketed his own. "But we make the rules around here."

"Crucio!" Bellatrix cried triumphantly.

My world exploded.

I dropped to the ground, writhing in agony. My screams echoed around the common room, tortured and terrible. Every molecule in my body was ripping apart. My whole body was caught on fire, I was dying-

As suddenly as it had started, it stopped. I lay on the carpet, panting for breath. I couldn't think, the pain had been so intense…

"What did you think of that, Andromeda?" Bellatrix asked from somewhere above me.

"I- I denounce the House of Black." I whispered, the words leaving my tongue on there own. My eyes searched the crowd gathered around me, until they reached Narcissa's. The sight brought be no comfort- it was with dead eyes she gazed at me. No help would be given; this punishment would be mine to bear alone. _I must be strong, I must be strong, I must be strong-_ I thought, squeezing my eyes shut. I knew what would happen next, and I couldn't let myself break.

"Crucio!"

* * *

Screams and laughter, horrible laughter…

"Narcissa!" I cried out, my reserve breaking. Tears fell as I bucked, my muscles rebelling. The very essence of my being was being ravaged, all I knew was pain. I could hear what I was saying, but wasn't conscious of saying it.

"NARCISSA! Narcissa, she's killing me!"

"What do you say now, Andromeda?"

"I denounce the House of Black!"

"Crucio! Crucio!"

"Narcissa- Ted! TED! HELP, PLEASE! I can't take this anymore, Ted!"

"Andromeda?"

"I-I disown my family. I disown you, Bella!" I could hear insane laughter, and realized it was my own. What was happening?

"Crucio!"

"AUGH!" I didn't know if my eyes were open or closed; I couldn't see anything. I could hear screaming, feel my throat being torn as I screamed, but was powerless to stop it. I convulsed, every nerve burning. I wanted to escape, to leave this never-ending affliction.

_Let me die,_ I pleaded. _Death can be no worse than this eternal torment. Let me have peace. _Another spasm as my muscles contracted, I howled in distress. Then, I heard it.

A snap.

It may have my imagination, but I could hear it. A single note rang through my head, vibrating. And through all the chaos of my taxed mind, I knew what it meant.

I had broken.

Laughter rang out, weak and gentle. I knew it was my own. I had been driven insane, bringing relief with it. I was finally free of the burdens that had plagued me. My body no longer hurt, or if it did I no longer paid attention to it. I lay my crippled conscious down to rest, and oblivion swallowed me.

* * *

**Wow, pretty intense chapter. I almost didn't want to write it, to save my poor main character. Alas, it was crucial to the plot, and so it was left to me to do the dirty work. Was it alright? Next chapter will be posted once I get a review or two on this chapter! Tell me what you think, and thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 12

**Wow! The reviews for the last chapter were really good! I have to admit, I was a little worried. I've never written something so intense, so I was slightly worried about the reader's responses. Luckily, everyone seemed positive! A special thanks to Manatocfox, for reviewing almost as soon as I sent the chapter out! You really encouraged me when I was nervous to continue. Now, enough of this endless droning of the author. Onto Andromeda...**

* * *

I awoke, but did not open my eyes. I felt removed as if I was merely an observer, watching someone else wake up.

_Ah._ I thought with mild interest. _So this is what its like to be mad._ I loathed to try and regain control of myself. I knew that if I did, I would have to confront the pain. I was scared of that.

_Never again._ My frightened mind cried out. _Never again feel the pain. Ignore it, let go of it._

But I couldn't. My will to survive was more stubborn than my crippled mind. I opened my eyes.

Darkness. I was lying on a floor in total darkness. Alone. I was relieved and frightened by this at the same time. Where was I? I groaned as the pain reintroduced itself to my body. The torture my sister had inflicted had left its mark. It took all my energy to stay conscious, to ride the waves of agony coursing through my broken body. My lungs ached, my breathing low and shallow. I knew without looking that my arm was broken along with at least one of my ribs, maybe more. A thick, sticky liquid - blood I assumed - was plastered to my cheek. My head pounded until I thought my skull was going to crack, but my curious nature helped override the pain, if only temporarily. I let my eyes adjust to the gloom trying to see where I was. The floor underneath me was cold and damp. I was not in the Slytherin common room with its rich emerald rugs. I had been moved then. Up ahead, if I craned my neck, I could make out a single verdigris pinprick of light. I must be in the dungeons under the school.

It was clear that I had been deposited quite unceremoniously on the cold stone floor. My cloak was wrapped around me, and the back of my head throbbed. I closed my eyes again, content with this information. My thoughts flitted back to the nightmarish fantasy. I had been disowned. I had no family. Even Narcissa had abandoned me in the end. I lay on the dungeon floor powerless to stop the onslaught of tears that barraged me. They were hot, silent tears stinging my face as they descended into my mass of tangled hair. There was an incredible ache in my chest, but whether from physical pain or the hollow feeling engulfing me, I didn't know.

I knew I had to get help. It could be several hours until someone found me, and who knew what shape I'd be in then. No, I had to take advantage of my conscious state. With an amazing amount of effort, I sat up. A spell of dizziness came over me as my ribs moved, almost sending me comatose with the torment. I yelped in pain, tears blinding me. I clutched my broken arm to my chest gingerly, and struggled to my feet. That small feat left me completely breathless, and my vision swam. My mind became feverish and my thoughts more and more distorted. I clung to my broken arm leaning against the wall for support.

Bellatrix had done this to me. Fury overcame me, removing any rational thoughts and filling me with burying hatred. After all I had done for her, obediently doing every task she gave me, she had turned on me. There was no remorse in her features as she had tortured me.

It was then I realized I wasn't as mad at Bellatrix as I was with myself.

I had been her scapegoat, the entire Black family scapegoat, since the day I was born. I had let them walk all over me, believing there was no alternative, no escape. I had suffered on their behalf countless times, but had remained as foolishly loyal as a beaten dog groveling at its master's feet. I had lied, protected, and aided the Blacks. I had even told the Sorting Hat to place me in Slytherin so I could be with Narcissa. That seemed the cruelest joke of all. Who knew what would have happened if I had been in another house? Would I have pulled away from my family's influence? Would I have made friends? I could have been in Ravenclaw surrounded by my peers who valued knowledge. Or perhaps Hufflepuff, where I could have found a real family. Hufflepuffs had bright and sunny attitudes, quite the opposite of Slytherins with their solitude and darkness. Would I have been more optimistic if I had grown up a Hufflepuff? And then there was Gryffindor. That had been the house the Sorting Hat had most strongly recommended. Tonks was in Gryffindor. My heart tightened painfully, imagining all the years we could have been together if I had been in Gryffindor. But no, I had asked for Slytherinand had been trapped down there with the unfounded pride fueling cold malice.

But what if Slytherin turned out to be the right house for me? The Sorting Hat had put me in that house, and it had the final say, not I. So what if I was meant to be in Slytherin? I tried to push that thought away, but it lingered, feeding on my doubts.

I couldn't stand it. The pain, the emotions, the past regrets were all too much. I put my face to the wall, letting the stone cool my forehead. I couldn't think properly. Hysteria battled for the forefront in my mind. I needed to know if I had been in the right house or not for certain. I did not trust myself to give the right answer. How could I with all the mistakes I had made haunting my past? I needed to go back to the original source. Only it could tell me the truth.

The Hat.

Now that I had a direct goal, my mind clung onto it desperately. Finding the Hat distracted me from my feelings. I could outrun them if only for a while. Someday I would have to face the awful reality, but the Hat was first. I stumbled down the passageway, each step bringing a new wave of torment.

* * *

I stood in front of the stone Griffinwith my heart beating unevenly. I didn't know how long it had taken me to reach the entrance to the headmaster's office. It could have been minutes, hours, days... time no longer had meaning. I was lost in the fog of my own mind. I vaguely remembered collapsing countless times on the way here, but it seemed like a dream I'd already half-forgotten. I had met no one in the halls, for which I was glad . They would have carted me away to the Hospital Wing at first glance. No one could possibly understand my need to hear the Sorting Hat's words again. That single desire is the only thing that allowed me to drag my sorrowful body this far. I would not be deterred.

But now I was in front of the stone griffin, I was at a loss.

"Hog'arts!" I asked the guardian, trying to guess the password. My speech was oddly slurred. My throat was torn up from my screaming earlier. All I could manage was a hoarse whisper. The griffin moved its head with the sound of stones sliding across each other. It looked down its sharp beak to study me with its stony eyes.

"Albus Dumbledore." I guessed again wincing as I adjusted my grip on my broken arm. I could tell by my nausea that I was on the verge on another collapse. I hadn't much time.

"I need to get in!" I tried yelling at the impassive griffin with my burning throat.

"Who are you?" The animated stone griffin asked in its gravelly voice.

"Andromeda. Andromeda Bl-" I stopped mid-word. I wasn't a Black anymore. I couldn't- no, I _refused_ to use that last name anymore. It brought too many memories with it - painful memories. Fortunately, the griffin aroused me from my dark thoughts.

"Andromeda Black?" It asked slowly, its baritone rumbling. "Ah, yes. We've been expecting you for quite some time now."

Before I could ask the griffin what it meant, it moved aside revealing a spiral staircase. All questions I had died instantly. Now that there was no obstacle blocking me from my goal, I focused solely on the task ahead. I stumbled ahead mumbling my thanks to the griffin.

* * *

I reached the top of the stairs struggling to bring air into my aching lungs. The broken rib was giving me no end of trouble. I couldn't move without it sending bolts of shooting pain through my chest. I wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and wait for unconsciousness to save me from the pain, but I was too stubborn. My mind won the battle, at least for now. I pushed open the door to the headmasters office.

If I had gone in for any other occasion, I might have been awed beyond words at the sight. There were beautifully carved dark display cases lining the walls filled with all manner of magical wonders. Portraits of the past headmasters of Hogwarts lined the walls. They appeared to be asleep, though I could have sworn a few were watching me when my back was turned. The ceiling was domed above, the grandeur humbling, yet at the same time oddly welcoming. Peculiar silver instruments sat on the broad desk in the middle of the room. Two armchairs faced each other on either side of the desk, plush and inviting. I longed to sink into one, to put my bruised body to rest. But then I caught sight of the familiar ragged black fabric-

It was the Sorting Hat.

It sat on the other side of the room on the top shelf of a very old bookcase. I almost cried with relief. Finally, my weary mind thought, all would be disclosed. I staggered over, my vision swimming. I grasped the bookcase for balance trying to get my bearings.

"Hello." I breathed up at the Sorting Hat, my voice creaking like rusty hinges.

"Andromeda Black." The Sorting Hat had not spoken, however, the voice had come from behind me. I turned around blinking. A tall man stepped out of the shadows out of a doorway I had not noticed before. There was no doubt it was the Headmaster. Even in the dark I could make out his long auburn beard. He stepped into the office, his half moon spectacles glinting.

"The Sorting Hat guessed that you would come here someday seeking answers." He said kindly. "I'm sorry I'm so ill-prepared. I usually do not have visitors in the early hours of the morning." I turned away from the headmaster. I knew it was extremely disrespectful, but I no longer had the heart to care. I just had to know. I reached for the Sorting Hat, which was tantalizingly above me.

Pain ripped my side, and I immediately collapsed. I yelped in surprise, closing my eyes and pressing my hand to my broken rib. My breathing caught, I felt like the office was spinning. I gritted my teeth, trying to be strong. When I opened my eyes, the headmaster was crouched next to me, one hand on my back.

"You're injured." He stated. I looked up into his face which hovered above mine. "Let's have some light, shall we?" Dumbledore asked, his voice even.

I clung to his calming voice taking comfort from it. I heard a click, and a ball of pure, golden light escaped a small silver device Dumbledore held and hovered above me. I could feel the headmaster's grip on my back tighten as he looked at me properly for the first time. He gently reached out for my broken arm. I didn't resist as he took it into his hands as gently as if he was holding a wounded bird. The glasses he wore reflected the light, but behind them I could see his gaze of cold fury.

"Who did this to you?" The headmaster asked, his voice straining to contain his protective anger.

"I-" I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him. How could I explain that my own sister had performed an Unforgivable Curse on me? And confound it, I realized I was worried about Narcissa. She had stood by and allowed me to be tortured, and yet I didn't want her to get into trouble. I trembled as I realized that even though I had been betrayed by her, I still wanted to defend my little sister. I still loved her, and it hurt so much. Tears formed in my eyes.

"Andromeda." The headmaster gripped my shoulder making me look into his piercing blue eyes. "Other students might be in danger. Tell me, who tortured you?" I wanted to break his gaze, but found that I couldn't. A tear rolled down my cheek removing the grime left from the dungeon floor.

"Bella. Bellatrix." I rasped. There was a second of silence as Dumbledore processed this information.

"Your sister?" He asked. I could only nod. Dumbledore stood and withdrew his wand.

"Expecto Patronum." He said simply. I looked up, watching as a silver bird flew out of Dumbledore's wand tip. It had plumage similar to a peacock, but its body was far more graceful. It turned its elegant head towards me, and I recognized it from a picture in our Care of Magical Creatures textbook.

A Phoenix.

Though it was only a patronus and not a real phoenix, the mere sight of it filled me with hope. My thoughts of Narcissa and Bellatrix were momentarily banished, and I forgot about my wounds. I stared, entranced with the patronus, as Dumbledore talked to it.

"To Minerva, Filius, Pomona, Horace, and... dare I say it? Croach," Dumbledore began as he paced in front of me. "Bellatrix Black has performed an Unforgivable Curse on a Hogwarts student. Find her." Dumbledore waved his wand again, and the Phoenix patronus rose into the air with silvery wisps fanning out from its strong wings. It suddenly burned bright, then vanished. My pains returned as well as my fears.

"Is there anything we can do, Albus?" One of the portraits asked. It was a witch wearing lime green robes. "Shall I contact St. Mungos? The poor dear looks terrible!" She gazed at me sympathetically.

"No thank you, at least not yet. Poppy should be able to take care of things on her own." The witch in the portrait nodded, and returned to her love seat. Dumbledore turned back to me, his expression softening.

"Can you stand?" He asked softly.

"Yes." I said weakly. Dumbledore walked over to me with an outstretched hand. Offering me his support, he guided me to the armchair in front of the desk. I gratefully sank into it.

"I know you must be in a great deal of pain." Dumbledore said, taking his seat on the other side of the desk. He looked at me, his eyes shining with sympathy. "But others may be in danger. I must know what happened."

"Water?" I croaked, not eager to jump straight into the conversation I knew we must have. Dumbledore flicked his hand, and a goblet appeared on the desk in front of me. I leaned over and clasped the goblet bringing it to my parched lips. The goblet shook in my unsteady hand, but I managed not to spill it. The icy water brought relief to my ravaged throat. I could feel Dumbledore's gaze on me, but I couldn't meet his eyes as I set the goblet back down.

"How did this happen?" Dumbledore asked as I stared numbly at my lap. "Was Bellatrix mad at you?"

"Yes."

"Why?" Dumbledore asked gently. "You must tell me, Andromeda." I finally looked up at him. I was shocked to see the weary sorrow in his eyes. When I looked into those eyes, I knew I could not refuse the old man what he wanted. I knew he was right to question me. I complied.

"Narcissa told her I had betrayed the Black family."

"And why did Narcissa say that?" Dumbledore persisted.

"Because... because she saw me kissing Ted Tonks. He's a half-blood, and the Blacks-"

"I'm well aware of Torjurus Pur." Dumbledore said wearily. "That pure blood wizards are better-"

"They're wrong." I said, trembling all over. "They're all wrong! Blood status doesn't matter. Tonks is brave and kind. I want to be more like him. The Blacks are all wrong about him, and they're wrong about me!" Dumbledore watched me sadly.

"I think I understand. You've been doubting the Black ideals for a while, haven't you? Mr. Tonks showed you a different way to look upon things, and you took the chance and tried to change. Narcissa found you together and reported it to Bellatrix. What then?"

"I went after Narcissa." I said, words rushing like a torrent out of my mouth. "We've always been there for each other. She's my little sister, and at the Black manor I used to protect her. So I ran after her, afraid that she would think I abandoned her. And she- she..." I couldn't hold it back anymore, not even if it meant shaming myself in front of the headmaster.

"She watched Bellatrix torture me." I blubbered, my heart tightening painfully as I tried to suppress the oncoming tide of emotions. "She abandoned me..." Dumbledore waited patiently as I wept, his own brilliant blue eyes filled with tears.

"Betrayal," Dumbledore started softly. "Betrayal from those we cherish is the hardest to take. It is a blow that goes straight to our heart."

"I wished I had never loved her." I whispered.

"Don't say that." Dumbledore said, with unexpected severity. "Never regret love, Andromeda." His gaze was so stern that I nodded. He relaxed a little, and smiled humorlessly as me. "I believe I have my own personal tale that quite resembles your own." He said, his voice thick.

"When I was about your age, I had a friend that I trusted above everyone else. Both of us were highly ambitious young wizards, and sought to make the world a better place. We would lead the Wizarding world down the path of purity for the greater good." Dumbledore's eyes hardened at those words. "Like yourself, I was under the wrong influences. Unlike you though, I was too blinded by them to have the sense to draw away. Only a tragic accident and the betrayal of the friend I held most dear opened my eyes. His betrayal shook my foundation more than I have ever admitted, including to myself. It still pangs me. But I learned a great deal from that experience. Quite rudely I was brought to face the reality of the vision my friend and I had shared. It was a good thing we had been separated, I realized. If we had not, what awful things would I have done? But the price has been high." He lowered his gaze, grief-stricken. "Too high." He muttered.

"What did you learn, Headmaster?" I asked breathlessly.

"I learned that you must think for yourself." Dumbledore said, looking up at me once he regained his composure. "You must choose for yourself what is right." I nodded.

"That's what I told Narcissa." I admitted to Dumbledore. He smiled through his grief.

"Then you must be wiser than I was, Andromeda, if you were able to resist the lull for so long. I may have been clever, but I was weak when it came to power. I sacrificed doing the right thing for power. Only another's sacrifice showed me the error of my ways. You are stronger than I was." He claimed I was the stronger one? That almost seemed laughable. I was the one lying broken inside and out in front of the mighty headmaster of Hogwarts.

"I think I have asked you all of the important questions, or at least the questions you were able to answer. Thank you for listening to my rambling so politely." Dumbledore said in the silence that had lapsed. "Now, we should get you to the Hospital Wing."

"Could I see the Sorting Hat first, Headmaster?" I pleaded.

"Why do you have such a interest in the Sorting Hat?" Dumbledore inquired.

"She wants to know what House she belongs to." It was the Sorting Hat. It smiled down at me from its lofty perch. "I'm right, aren't I? You are afraid that you belong in Slytherin? With the other Blacks?"

"Yes." I said, gripping the table. The Hat humphed.

"You should have guessed by now, Andromeda." The hat said, though not unkindly. "I let you into Slytherin because _you_ chose Slytherin. The answer to your question relies entirely on you. Besides-" The Hat chuckled to itself. "Why ask me? I am just a hat, after all." It winked at me knowingly, then became still once again.

"I believe that's all you will be able to get out of the hat." Dumbledore said, smiling. "He only talks when it suits him. Stubborn as a mule." If the Sorting Hat heard Dumbledore's comment, it gave us no signs. Dumbledore sighed.

"Well, I won't delay your relief any longer. I know you suffered while we talked. Thank you for enduring the delay for the safety of our school."

"What will happen to Bellatrix?" I asked worriedly. "And Narcissa?"

"I don't know for certain." Dumbledore said truthfully, his brow darkening. "But alas, the answer will have to wait. Let me assure you, however, that you will be safe. No further harm will come to you. Now what you need is medical attention and rest." As much as I wanted to argue with him, I knew he was right. My mind was stretched to its maximum limit; my eyelids drooped. Dumbledore waved his wand and a stretcher appeared next to my chair hovering three feet in the air.

"If you would kindly recline on the stretcher, we could save you the agony of walking." Dumbledore said lightly. I nodded numbly. The good thing about exhaustion was that it acted as a barrier between me and my confused feelings. I lowered myself on the stretcher, and swung my legs onto it. Dumbledore raised his wand, and similarly, the stretcher rose, too. Dumbledore opened the door leading to the spiral staircase and gently my stretcher carried me down. Dumbledore walked behind it, his wand held aloft. Already my mind was shutting down against my will. Though I struggled to stay awake, I was asleep by the time we reached the corridor below.

* * *

**So what did you think? Did you like it? Any suggestions? The more reviews, the quicker I will post the next chapter!**


	14. Chapter 13

I could hear voices, though I did not know whether or not I was just imagining them. I was so tired, it was all I could do to try and focus on the heated conversation.

"Stop- I want to kill her-"

"And what good will that do Andromeda?"

'We have to do something! Her own sister-"

"I agree, but loosing our heads won't do us any good."

"I can't just sit here!" The voice howled, the intensity of the grief coming out, causing me to sympathize with the voice. That voice… I thought I could place it, but my sluggish brain would not think about it. The other voice spoke, calm and rational.

"Andromeda has been left alone in the world. She has no home or family to call her own. You must be there for her. Don't let your rash behavior blind you."

"Professor, you don't understand-"

"I do, actually. I understand that in your grief vengeance seems the only solution. But tell me truthfully, do you believe vengeance help Andromeda?" There was a pause.

"No." A voice sighed. "But… she will be all right, won't she Professor?" The voice pleaded, like a small child asking his mother if everything would be okay.

"She had suffered extensive nerve damage." The older voice answered gently. "And during the Cruciatus curse, she had to retreat into the dark recesses of her mind."

"Is… is she mad?" The voice choked.

"Aren't we all? Many people believe I am mad, though I suppose they are right. None who have experienced that kind of betrayal will ever be whole again. Narcissa has left a hole in Andromeda's heart that can never be filled." A strangled sob escaped.

"Do not despair. You have more of a chance of healing Andromeda than all the Healers in St. Mungos ever could."

"What must I do?"

"You will have the task of bringing Andromeda out again, out of her mind. And of utmost importance: Teach her to move on. Andromeda's past is so horrific that if she dwells there, she will never recover. Stand by her, and remind her that the present life is worth living."

"But what if…" The voice broke off, hesitant.

"If?"

"What if she hates me now? I was the reason her sister abandoned her. This is all my fault."

"No, it is not. Do not claim that you are the sole reason for Andromeda's change in allegiance. She made her own decisions. Besides, I highly doubt she will blame you. You are the only one she has now. There is no one else. You must stand with her, Tonks."

"With my life." The voice trembled. There was a sigh.

"I know you will. These are the most beautiful and tragic moments in life: love against grief, vengeance and despair, present over past… these precious moments can shape our entire lives." The voices died away, and I drifted back to sleep.

* * *

I awoke up gradually, drifting in and out of consciousness. Where was I? I didn't care; all I wanted was to sleep. I curled up into a small ball, almost entirely covered in warm blankets. My hair flowed loosed around me like a halo, and my breath added to the warmth. I felt so at peace. I loathed giving that away, but like most situations, I found my curiosity winning. I blinked, and heard someone next to me inhale sharply. I turned toward the source of the sound, trying to clear my head. The bright light blinded me. I wasn't in my dormitory. I struggled to sit upright, confusion and panic rising.

"Careful." A voice warned, a hand gently pushing me back down. Though I couldn't place the voice, I did as I was told, sinking back into the soft pillows. The hand kept on my shoulder; I was glad it didn't leave. The thumb rubbed my shoulder reassuringly. I drew comfort from its presence. As my eyes adjusted to the harsh light, I could make out the figure sitting next to me, his tawny hair sweeping into his eyes.

"Ted?" I whispered. He gave me a small smile.

"Yes." He assured me, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "I'm here." He sat back down on a chair pulled up next to my bed, watching me with bloodshot eyes. I looked around the Hospital Wing, trying to get my bearings. I tried twisting around to look toward the entrance to the Hospital Wing, but something prevented me. My entire upper body seemed to be inflexible. I tried to push myself up in a sitting position, only to fall back with a yelp of surprise. My left arm was encased in stiff bandages, leaving my entire arm immobile.

"Careful now." Tonks warned, getting up from his seat and helping me sit up. I now knew why my upper body was immobile: underneath my pajamas, bandages wrapped around my ribcage, so tight that I could hardly move my shoulders. Without thinking, I put my hand to my face where Bellatrix had slashed it. The wound had now disappeared without so much as a trace, but it felt irritated and ached under the skin. Tonks noticed me grimace, a smiled sadly.

"Does it hurt?" He asked. I shook my head. "What time is it?" I asked, dazed. Memories were just beginning to appear, and I desperately sought to ignore them.

"It's almost seven in the evening."

"Do you know how long I've been here?"

"Professor Dumbledore said he brought you in at around two o' clock this morning."

"What about you? How long have you been here?" Tonks shrugged.

"Dumbledore sent Professor McGonagall to go and fetch me from Gryffindor tower. You should have seen the other guys in my dormitory when McGonagall came charging in." Tonks smiled weakly, but it did not reach his eyes. "They screamed like little girls. McGonagall didn't tell me what happened until we were out of Gryffindor tower." Tonks's face fell. "By Merlin, I never imagined you were in danger when you went after your sister! If I had known, I would have come after you. I…I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." I shook my head, but immediately regretted it. I was horribly dizzy, and the world seemed to tilt. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing it to go away.

"Andromeda?" Tonks asked nervously. "Here." Tonks pressed something cool into my hand. I cracked my eyes open, and saw it was a glass of water. I drank it in one gulp. I leaned back against the headboard, clutching the empty glass with both hands. I tried to ignore it but I could feel the pain coming back. Even the unsurpassed magical skill of Madam Pomfrey's healing could not obliviate the effects of my sister's torturing. I felt fragile, like at any moment I could shatter into a thousand pieces, never to fixed. I vaguely remembered a voice last night talking about my mental state_. '__None who have experienced that kind of betrayal will ever be whole again.'. _ I could not help but be idly curious about this. Indeed, I felt a like I had a hollow, slightly removed pretense. Though I felt the pain that coursed through my body, I felt oddly detached. A single gust and I could simply float away, leave all of this behind-

"Andromeda?" I had not realized I had closed my eyes until I found myself opening them. Tonks leaned over me, his face knitted with concern. Now that I focused on him more clearly, I realized how haggard he looked. Dark circles formed underneath his eyes from lack of sleep, and his shaggy hair was sticking up at odd angles, as if he ran his hand through it frequently. His face was paler than I had ever seen it. Most of the time it was flushed his excitement, with joy. He was staring at me, waiting for a response. I gazed back at him, unsure what to say. What could I possibly say? Tonks hesitantly put his hand out, resting his on mine. I blinked; startled by the warmth his grasp gave. I pulled out of my silent contemplation and wrapped my hand around his in return. He looked up at me, sad but hopeful.

"Ted?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." I said, squeezing his hand. "For everything." Tonks's smiled flickered with guilt; I knew he still wrongly blamed himself for my conflict with Bellatrix. He didn't reply, but cast his gaze downward, too ashamed to meet my eyes. I could tell he was fighting back overwhelming remorse for my suffering, trying to remain strong for me. I knew without having to ask him that he wished it had been him that had faced Bellatrix's wrath in my stead. I in turn was glad that he had not accompanied me down to the dungeons, for he would have surely met as much pain as I. Tonks still held onto my hand, offering his comfort and support. I held onto his, offering the same feelings back.

The Hospital Wing doors creaked open, allowing Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore to enter. McGonagall's strict gaze softened for a fraction of a second when she saw Tonks and I together. She nodded at us, looking at a loss for words. Dumbledore smiled kindly, his eyes twinkling knowingly behind his half-moon spectacles.

"Andromeda, I am glad to see you are awake." Dumbledore said lightly. Though Tonks was in the presence of the Headmaster and deputy Headmistress, he still did not relinquish my hand. I felt a fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realized this. Dumbledore and McGonagall came to a stop a few feet away.

"I trust you are well, Mr. Tonks?" McGonagall asked her voice lacking its usual briskness.

"Yes, thank you." Tonks answered, attempting to hide his weariness. McGonagall stared at him sympathetically, her eyes a bit misty.

"I was able to retrieve this for Miss Black." She said, showing that she held a gray bundle in her arms. Tonks peered at the bundle, curious, but recoiled as the gray bundle in McGonagall's arms leaped out at him. Tonks yelped as the gray thing flew at him, hitting him hard in the chest and sending him flat on his back on the bed.

"What the-" Tonks sputtered. The gray thing fell onto the bed and prowled over to me, its dark eyes staring up at me-

Brutus jumped into my lap, purring. After getting over my shock, I put my hand out to him. My heart melted as he put his head to my hand, trying to get me to rub him. After the events of last night, I was ashamed to admit I had not spared a thought to my poor cat. Tonks sat back up, looking at Brutus warily before shaking his head, chuckling softly.

"How did you find him?" I asked McGonagall, pulling Brutus into my embrace. Brutus's intelligent eyes blinked up at me, his pink nose twitching. His purring seemed to come from deep within him, rumbling happily. I buried my face in his warm fur, drawing comfort from his presence.

"I have quite a way with cats." Professor McGonagall said, a tight smile on her face. Dumbledore chuckled at this, giving McGonagall a secretive smile. "You have a fine familiar, Black." McGonagall said approvingly.

"I'm not a Black anymore, Professor." I said, my spirits at seeing Brutus sinking slightly. Professor McGonagall looked somewhat taken aback.

"Oh." She said, pity evident in her eyes. I looked away, trying to concentrate on Brutus and not the tide of emotions trying to flood me.

"What about my wand? Were you able to find that?" I asked, scared to know the answer. McGonagall shook her head in response. A lump formed in my throat, anger at my eldest sister causing my jaw to clench. She had disowned me, tortured me, and left me powerless. I felt drained, exposed. Brutus rubbed the top of his head against my chin, urging me to continue petting him, oblivious to my inner turmoil. I tried to ignore him, but after another moment relented and scratched him between the ears. His eyes narrowed in pleasure.

"The school will be able to provide you with a new wand, Andromeda." Dumbledore reassured me. "But there are a great deal of other matters to discuss before that, I'm afraid." Dumbledore sat on the bed opposite Tonks and I, watching Brutus with some amusement. Professor McGonagall continued to stand, crossing her arms and staring down at us uneasily. Dumbledore laced his fingers and began.

"You will no longer be able to stay in Slytherin." Tonks's jaw dropped, and I stared at Dumbledore, horrified.

"You mean…I'm expelled?" I squeaked.

"Heavens no, child!" Professor McGonagall said fiercely. "You are one of our top students. We aren't just going to turn you away because your family is- well…" As Professor McGonagall floundered for a word to describe exactly what my family was, Dumbledore gracefully intervened.

"You will be able to continue your education at Hogwarts, but not as a Slytherin I'm afraid. Too many of your fellows consider you a traitor for you to possibly return into their grasp. No, I cannot risk having them finish what Bellatrix started."

"So- I'm going to have to find my place in another House?" I asked, my mind instantly traveling to the cosy Gryffindor tower Tonks had described to me on many an occasion.

"Not quite." Dumbledore apologized. "You will not be placed in another House. Instead, you will have no House. McGonagall has offered to share her quarters with you, which will serve as your dormitory for the rest of the year." I stared at Dumbledore and then McGonagall, eyes wide. Though I had taken Transfiguration classes from McGonagall for five years, I could not have spoken more than a few sentences to her outside of class. Yet she had offered me room with her? Professor McGonagall, the head of Gryffindor helping an abandoned Slytherin student? I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of being in close quarters with the professor, though incredibly grateful all the same. "Arrangements can be made over the holidays." Dumbledore continued on, ignoring my dumbstruck expression. "You can stay at the castle over Christmas break, and I'm sure we can work something out for the summer. Any necessary expenses such as the replacement wand and textbooks for next year can be covered by the school or by myself."

"Th-thank you." I gasped, shocked at the changes happening so suddenly. "Are you sure? I don't want to-"

"It's quite all right, girl." McGonagall said gently, looking less severe. "Hogwarts will be there for all in need of it. You have nowhere else to go now." She added. I swallowed, knowing she was right.

"You'll get through this." Tonks said encouragingly. I nodded, glad that Tonks was there. I still had so many questions still that had to be answered. Before I pin down one and voice it however, the doors of the Hospital Wing swung open. A young man came barreling through, his brown cloak flapping around his ankles. His long ash blonde hair was a tangled mess, and he held his wand, though I was lowered at his side. Dumbledore stood quickly.

"Ah, Bones." Dumbledore greeted the eager young man who was making his way towards Dumbledore.

"I assume you have the report from Scrimgeour?"

"Yes." The man answered breathlessly, his eyes alight. His hands twitched with nervous energy, and he seemed unaware of the solemn atmosphere he had stumbled upon. His eyes darted to all possible exit routes, then back to Dumbledore.

"You see-"

"Not now, Bones." Dumbledore said, a small amount of force beneath his words. He swept over to Bones, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"We'll talk in my office." Dumbledore assured the anxious man before turning back to McGonagall. "I will be back in a moment, Minerva."

"Who's he?" Tonks asked, gesturing to Bones with some bemusement.

"An auror." I guessed out loud. Dumbledore nodded to me as conformation, and steered Bones toward the doors.

"But sir!" Bones exclaimed, swirling his wand agitatedly. "All I needed to tell you is that we still haven't found Bellatrix!"

There was dead silence.

Dumbledore had stopped walking, his shoulders tense as if he had been caught.

"What?" I asked shakily. "Bellatrix... escaped?" Tonks looked as shocked as I was, gripping the bed so that his knuckles turned white. Dumbledore turned back to me, his face shining with guilt. Seeing my shell-shocked features, he sighed miserably.

"Oh dear." He muttered. "I'm going to have to explain this, aren't I?"

* * *

**Sorry I took so long to post this chapter. Every time I sat down to write my cat- who by the way I based Brutus off of- would distract me, resolutely sitting on top of my computer and demanding me to pay attention to her. I swear she thinks she's royalty. Please review and tell me what you think is ahead!**


	15. Chapter 14

**Sorry I left you on a cliff hanger on that last chapter. I know how aggravating that can be. Here is the next chapter in Andromeda's tale. Enjoy!**

* * *

Tonks stood up, his pale face flushed.

"You didn't get Bellatrix?" He asked angrily. Dumbledore sighed and turned to Bones, who was watching Tonks curiously.

"Kindly tell Scrimgeour that I will meet him at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement no later than nine tonight." Bones looked like he was about to argue, but he quickly thought better of it. Nodding respectfully to Dumbledore and glancing at the rest of us strangely, he walked out of the Hospital Wing. Dumbledore steadily made his way back to us, stroking his graying auburn beard thoughtfully. Tonks was still on his feet, looking like he wanted to hit something. I was still reeling from the blow; I had assumed that Bellatrix and her followers had already been caught. But if they were still loose-

"Were you not going to tell us?" Tonks practically yelled at the Headmaster.

"Sit down Ted." Dumbledore heavily, seating himself on the bed opposite. Tonks looked like he was battling internally with himself, but finally sat down. Dumbledore turned his sorrowful gaze on me.

"Please understand Andromeda, that I would have told you later. You have already been through so much pain, I did not want to burden you with this information until you had fully recovered."

"How?" I asked, my voice cracking. Tonks looked back at me, his shoulders relaxing and the anger in his eyes dying. Dumbledore looked at his lap, pressing his fingers together.

"How does one explain?" He muttered, his brow creasing. "I despise being the bearer of bad tidings, yet it seems that is the role I play. But I will not deny you the answer." He looked up at me, understanding in his eyes.

"I don't know if you remember, but last night I asked you to tell me the name of the person who tortured you."

"Yes." I said hollowly. "I told you it was Bellatrix."

"You did." Dumbledore agreed. "You were most brave to put aside your own pains and fears to divulge that information, Andromeda. I then proceeded to send patronuses to the Heads of the Houses and to the Minister of Magic, telling them a Hogwarts student had been tortured. Minerva here was the first to heed my call." Dumbledore said, smiling gratefully to Minerva. "She quickly made her way to the Slytherin common room." Dumbledore grimaced at this point, staring directly into my face. "But when she got there, they had already fled."

"Fled?" I asked weakly. "You mean-"

"Half of the Slytherin house, gone overnight!" Professor McGonagall burst out, looking just as angry as Tonks had looked earlier. "Too cowardly to face the punishment for their actions, never in all my years-"

"Thank you, Minerva." Dumbledore cut in, and McGonagall's tirade died away.

"So they left Hogwarts?" I asked, unable to keep from shivering slightly. "Just…gone? How?"

"We don't know for sure yet." Dumbledore admitted. "The front doors were locked, and the Caterwauling Charm placed on them shows no one tried to break through. All other exits have been searched by Mr. Filch already, but none have appeared to be preeched." My hands clamped around the sheets as I processed this new information. Unwillingly my mind flitted to the image of Bellatrix standing over me, triumphantly surveying my broken form. I gasped for air, shuddering. She was now free, free from the restraints Hogwarts had put on her demented power.

"She'll be back." I whispered, wrapping my arms around myself. Tonks stared at me in horror, then back at Dumbledore.

"No she will not." Dumbledore said firmly, his usually kind eyes blazing with that protective fury I had seen last night.

"The teachers have been made aware." Professor McGonagall assured me. "We will take extra precautious measures to protect the students from such an attack. The department of Magical Law Enforcement has dispatched aurors to seek out Bellatrix as well as guard the school. Not to mention the school had a few secret defenses of its own."

"And me." Tonks added bravely, looking at me seriously. "I won't let Bellatrix get near you, Andromeda."

"Luckily that won't be needed, though I'm sure Andromeda appreciates it." Dumbledore chuckled. "Any attempt by Bellatrix to infiltrate the school will be stopped before anyone is injured again."

"But what about others outside the school?" I panicked. The emotions I had tried to keep quelled were threatening to override me. "Hogwarts gave Bellatrix boundaries, however much she strained against them. But now she's out there…" I left the thought unfinished. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Tonks stared, finally realizing my true fears. Tonks looked sick at the thought of all Bellatrix would do.

"Aurors are out searching for her as we speak." Dumbledore said, though he looked more solemn than before.

"It doesn't matter." I muttered under my breath. "She read those dark spell books. She'll be able to avoid capture. She'll strike out against every person she deems unworthy. Squibs, muggle-borns, muggles, blood traitors, half-bloods-" I glanced over at Tonks, cringing at my own words.

"And she will try to find me again." I said with utmost conviction. Bellatrix's demented possessiveness of me, the way she used me- she would regret leaving such a valuable pawn after her anger died away. We were inevitably linked, her very existence pulling at mine. I had been her quiet shadow, her timid servant. Knowing my sister, she would not let go so easily.

"I know she will." I added ominously. There was silence as everyone contemplated my dire prediction. Brutus chose this time to paw at my hand, annoyed that the attention had been turned away from him.

"She might try." Dumbledore agreed sadly after a moment. "But she will not reach you. In Hogwarts, you are safe." He stood, showing that the conversation was over. "I suggest you put such grim news behind you for the present time, however." Dumbledore walked over to Professor McGonagall, who still looked troubled. "Let us leave Andromeda to rest and recover." Dumbledore nodded to me, and he and McGonagall left, leaving only Tonks, Brutus, and I in the ward.

* * *

For the rest of the evening, Tonks tried to make pleasant conversation with me. I was not in the mood, however. Dark thoughts of my past and future haunted me, and I would not be stirred out of my pensive nature. Madam Pomfrey came in later, scolding Tonks for not telling her that I had awakened. She gave me a few frothing cups of healing potions, each one nastier tasting than the last. After that she brought Tonks and I trays of food. Tonks could have gone and eaten in the Great Hall, but when Madam Pomfrey shooed him away, he had stubbornly stayed, determined not to leave my side. So we ate together. While I picked at my dinner underneath Madam Pomfrey's commanding glare, Tonks ate his ravenously. If only my problems would disappear as fast as Tonks's dinner, I would be carefree within seconds. After Madam Pomfrey went back into her office, I gave the rest of my meal to Brutus, who set upon it happily.

"Andromeda?" Tonks asked carefully, placing his empty tray on the bedside table.

"Do you- do you think I could introduce you to my other mates?"

"What?"

"They came looking for me this morning when I missed the first few classes. It didn't take long for them to hear that I had gone to the Hospital Wing and come hunting me out. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let them in the Hospital Wing, but she told me to go out into the hall since they were demanding to see me. I thought for sure they were going to lay it on me, but they didn't question me much. I suppose they were sorry for me when they saw how bloody terrible I looked. When they asked why I was in the Hospital Wing, I just told them someone I knew was sick. Like I said, when they realized I was serious they stopped goofing around and prying. They didn't even complain when I said I was going to spend the rest of the day there. They've been really good friends, and-" Tonks scratched his neck and sighed, staring down at his lap. "I feel bad keeping them in the dark. Do you think we can tell them now that Bellatrix is gone? Tonks looked at me hopefully.

"I guess there's not a good reason not to tell them." I replied uncertainly. "Are you sure though? I'm- well, I _was_ a Black. Are you sure they wouldn't hold our friendship against you?"

"They aren't that thick." Tonks said stubbornly. "You are more amazing than you give yourself credit for, Andromeda. You can't keep thinking that people will judge you because of your family. I hate hiding things from my mates, and you've been such a big part of my life-" I blushed at his words. Tonks stopped and grinned. "I think you would like them." He said resolutely. "Is it okay if I introduce you to them tomorrow?" I nodded, and Tonks beamed. "That means a lot to me, thanks." He said, reaching over and squeezing my hand. The faint flutter I had felt earlier that day came back to me. For some reason, my thoughts went back to the last time I had seen Tonks outside of the Hospital Wing. We had been together at the lake, sitting in the shade of the beech tree and watching the sunset. We had kissed, and suddenly everything was right-

And then it had gone very wrong.

It seemed like ages ago, that kiss. It was a distance dream, yet I could recall it with livid clarity. I wondered if Tonks had thought about it at all since then. That night after I had left, had he had stumbled around the grounds until twilight, reveling in the memory of us together? And when he found his way back up to the school, passing the Great Hall full of happy students, had his thoughts still been on me? As he lay in bed that night, did he replay the scene over and over again in his mind? Had he questioned the feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thought about me, as did to him? Had he drift off to sleep, a blissful smile gracing his face?

As that happened to him, I had been underneath the school, being tormented to near insanity by the ones I held most dear.

"Andromeda?" Tonks asked uncertainly, his voice suddenly concerned. I bit my lowered lip, trying to keep the tears in my eyes from falling. I should have known I wouldn't have been able to fool Tonks though. He knew without seeing my grief-stricken eyes that I was upset. He edged closer and wrapped his arms around me comfortingly. I welcomed his embrace, leaning my head onto his shoulder. I closed my eyes, and allowed my tears to fall.


End file.
